Interstate Showdown

Carolyn Walser / senior photographer Sophomore midfielder Brigid Strain (left) and senior attacker Jessica Brownridge battle for possession during practice Tuesday. The Dukes take on Virginia Tech Thursday night looking top run their winning streak to three games.

After losing national player of the year candidate Gail Decker to graduation, the big question for JMU entering the 2005 season was how the Dukes would fare offensively.

Decker, the university’s all-time points leader, scored 72 of JMU’s 235 goals in 2004, accounting for more than 36 percent of the Dukes’ offense.

But at Tuesday afternoon’s practice, JMU’s defense was on coach Kellie Young’s agenda.

Young briefly halted practice a few times to correct mistakes, even grabbing a stick and demonstrating proper defensive positioning.

"We’ve been using our off-ball defense as rest time and that’s when teams can take advantage of us," Young said after practice. "We talk a lot about getting in the right position so [the attacker] has to run into you instead of right by you."

At 3-1 overall, JMU has fallen out of the top-20 for the first time all season. After opening their campaign with an 11-10 win over the University of California, the Dukes dropped a 14-7 decision to the Yale University Bulldogs.

JMU rebounded to defeat Le Moyne University 14-11 last week and the Dukes beat the University of Notre Dame last Sunday 10-5. Young said she hopes her team is turning the corner.

"Going into Le Moyne we were a little nervous," Young said. "The attack did a better job of putting the ball in the back of the net but our defense allowed a lot of one-on-ones. Against Notre Dame they applied everything they learned. It was one of the best games I’ve seen thisteam play across the board since I came here."

As far as her team’s status outside the nation’s top-20, Young dismissed any notions that she was concerned.

"It’s people’s perceptions," Young said of the polls. "But it gives our team a little fuel."

JMU will need that fuel Thursday when it hosts Virginia Tech at the JMU Lacrosse Complex. The Dukes defeated the Hokies last season 20-8 — behind six goals from Decker and five from then-freshman midfielder Kelly Berger — but the Hokies sent a message to the Dukes this fall with a convincing win over JMU during a scrimmage.

"They blew us off the field," Young said. "I don’t know the final score but we simply were annihilated. We can’t underestimate them. They see us in terms of the rivalry and they will be fired up."

Virginia Tech enters at 1-3 overall and will face the daunting task of shutting down a balanced JMU attack. The Dukes have scored 42 goals this season, led by Berger’s team-high 11. Four other JMU players have more than 5 goals.

"The positive is everyone’s a threat on the attack constantly," Young said of her offense. "At the same time, it means everyone has to bring their ‘A’-game."

In addition to Berger, freshman midfielder Emily Haller has emerged as a go-to scorer. Haller scored the game-winning goal against Cal on opening day and has 5 goals this season.

"As a first-year [student], it’s really exciting to have someone who can slip inside the box, handle feeds and put the ball in the back of the net," Young said. "It’s just who she is, she’s very relaxed as an athlete and she knows where to be in terms of positioning."

JMU and Virginia Tech square off at 6 p.m.