JMU squeaks out win

Evin Shoap / senior photographer JMU freshman midfielder Lauren Bradley scoops up the ball. Bradley scored one goal.

Freshman midfielder Emily Haller’s second collegiate goal broke a 10-10 tie with 4:31 left in the game and JMU opened its season with an 11-10 win over the University of California Golden Bears Sunday at the JMU Lacrosse Complex.

Haller’s game-winner came off a rebound shot by sophomore attacker Kelly Berger. Haller picked up the loose ball and buried her shot in the back of the net.

"Kelly took an eight-meter," Haller said. "It went off the goalie and I just scooped it up."

Berger added three goals of her own to lead a balanced JMU scoring attack. The Dukes’ 11 goals were scored by seven different players.

"Coaches coming in know they have to cover Kelly," JMU coach Kellie Young said. "But Emily comes off a groundball inside and puts it in the back of the net. Other players come off feeds inside. You can’t stop everybody."

But early on it was JMU who couldn’t stop the Cal attack. The Dukes found themselves down 4-2 at the 14:00 mark in the first half after Cal midfielder Schuyler Sokolow beat JMU senior goalkeeper Amy Altig. Young called timeout to get her team back on track.

"Every game we have to work out a kink," Berger said. "There’s always a lesson to be learned. Kellie gives us a chance to get a reality check."

JMU responded off the timeout, getting goals from freshman midfielder Lauren Bradley and Haller to draw even at 4-4. The two teams ended the first half knotted-up at 6 apiece.

"It was almost like a green light to go out and fight instead of just going out to play," Young said of her timeout speech. "All of a sudden they get fired up and they put it into action."

The seesaw battle continued into the second half with neither team e enjoying more than a one-goal cushion. After senior attacker Jessica Brownridge’s second goal of the afternoon gave the Dukes a 10-9 lead with 7:35 left in the game, the Golden Bears tied it up on a goal by attacker Liz Reifsnyder.

Haller’s loose-ball rebound gave JMU the lead back at 11-10. Cal had an opportunity to tie the game up again, but Sokolow’s penalty shot against junior goalkeeper Livvy King hit the post. King had subbed-in for Altig and had not faced a shot all game.

"I wasn’t worried about Livvy having not received shots," Young said. "But I was very thankful it hit the pipe. It was almost like all the things that went against us early on came back in our favor in that moment."