JMU ready for CAA tournament clash with Monarchs

FILE PHOTO Freshman midfielder Lasse Kokko and the Dukes take on Old Dominion University Friday.

The No. 18-ranked Dukes’ 2-1 victory at George Mason University Friday earned them the second seed and a first round bye in this weekend’s Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Now the team will head for Richmond to take on this season’s most daunting adversary – the away venue.

Results from the past two years seem to suggest that the Dukes have trouble away from Harrisonburg. Their conference record at home over the past two seasons stands at 9-1. Their conference away record over that stretch is 3-4-2. The team is confident its level of play has remained high on the road, despite the results.

"We knew the end of our schedule was going to be tough," coach Tom Martin said.

The Dukes ended the regular season with five-straight conference away games. While both conference defeats came over that odyssey, the losses have been followed by conference wins.

The first fault of the season, 1-0 at Old Dominion University, was followed by an overtime win at the College of William & Mary with a one-man disadvantage.

"That win against William & Mary was big for team morale and really showed our team’s character," Martin said.

Coming off a loss and a lengthy stretch of away games, the Dukes jockeyed for position in the CAA. Their first round tournament bye was secured with a 2-1 victory against GMU.

"[GMU] needed that win to get into the tournament, but we battled through," Martin said. "That win was just as big [as the W&M win] for us."

With five-straight away games, three of which were against CAA tournament teams, the Dukes have endured the worst.

"If you can handle that kind of adversity, you’ll be stronger for it," Martin said. "We met that adversity and it has made us stronger."

With a ticket into Friday night’s semifinals, the Dukes now look to avenge their loss to ODU. The Monarchs advanced on Tuesday night, dispatching W&M 2-0 at Richmond.

The other side of the bracket will match tournament host Virginia Commonwealth University against Hofstra University. Hofstra is responsible for the Dukes’ only other loss this season.