Lombardo’s 300th win sends JMU to semifinals
Posted on November 8, 2007
Madison women’s soccer earned a trip to Virginia Beach for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament semifinals, and senior forward Annie Lowry scored her 28th career goal as JMU beat George Mason 2-1 on Tuesday.
With coach Dave Lombardo’s 300th career win, Madison (16-3-1 overall, 8-2-1 in the conference) improved to 12-0 at home this season and rebounded from a 3-0 loss at Virginia Commonwealth in the Dukes’ last regular season game.
“We’ve been struggling a little bit offensively the last few games, and we were without a couple of players [today] — Caitlin Walko was sitting on a red card — but the kids stepped up and played,” Lombardo said.
William & Mary and Hofstra, the top two seeds in the six-team tournament, got first-round byes. Madison stumbled its way to a third-place finish in the conference by losing two out of its last four CAA games. As the No. 3-seed in the tournament, JMU never trailed No. 6-seed GMU.
The Dukes got on the board first in the 61st minute when freshman midfielder Teresa Rynier sent a ball upfield to Lowry, who raced past the George Mason defense and beat senior goalkeeper Kasey Davenport from 10 yards out. The goal put Lowry in a tie for seventh-place on JMU’s career goals-scored list.
Rynier and senior defender Laura Hertz were active in the transition game, as Madison out-shot Mason 13-12. While Hertz energized the offense by joining fast breaks, four of JMU’s substitution players were either forwards or midfielders, and Madison used them to spark scoring opportunities throughout the game.
“Sometimes when you sub you catch the other team off-guard,” Lowry said. “We’re finally gettin’ back on the ball, playing the offense that we can but the keeper made a lot of good saves.”
Davenport had seven saves, while JMU’s redshirt freshman goalie Stephanie Poucher had three. Madison’s defense held Mason to one goal despite the absence of starting sophomore defender Caitlin Walko. She was suspended because of the red card she received at VCU.
Madison had 12 of its 13 shots in the second half and scored its second goal when Rynier made a defensive stop near midfield and pushed the ball for a fast break in the 74th minute. She passed the ball to freshman forward Cate Tisinger on the left side of the field, who sent in a cross that junior forward Megan Deaver knocked in from 3 yards out.
Madison sophomore forward Jess Remmes was knocked down twice inside the box in the first 15 minutes without being rewarded a call. “It was a physical game, but I think we reacted a lot better than we did last game,” Remmes said. “We proved that we do have dignity, rather than what we showed last week” at VCU.
George Mason (8-10-1, 4-6-1) didn’t get on the scoreboard until the 81st minute when sophomore midfielder Sasha Vido scored from 4 yards out on a pass across the box from sophomore forward Kelly Keelan. GMU shot nine times in the second half, compared to three in the first.
“They knock it around pretty well; they just were without that special player up top, an
Annie or a Cate that can really unlock a defense,” Lombardo said.
Madison plays Hofstra at 5 p.m Friday. The Dukes won 2-0 against the Pride earlier this season at Hempstead., N.Y. Friday’s match is at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex, where Madison will look to advance and play the winner of William & Mary vs. VCU, which takes place after the JMU game.
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