No. 4 Dukes roll over Le Moyne

Decker, Bosica each score 4 goals in convincing home victory Friday

Christopher Labzda / senior photographer JMU goes after the ball during its, 20-2, victory over visiting Le Moyne College Friday at the JMU Lacrosse Complex.

The No. 4 Dukes tallied another victory in their young season by defeating Le Moyne College, 20-2, Friday at the JMU Lacrosse Complex.

Led by senior midfielder Gail Decker and freshman attacker Maria Bosica, both of whom had 4 goals, the team finished with a season-high number of goals in a single game.

Decker, the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week for the week ending March 14, quickly took advantage by scoring 2 goals in the first two minutes of the game. Her goals came only 17 seconds apart.

The team added to its point tally with 8 more goals in the first 9:25 of the game. The team led 15-1 at the half and had 13 players contribute at least 1 goal by the end of the game.

"Our start sets the tone for the game, especially from what we see from our seniors," freshman midfielder Brigid Strain said.

Outshooting the opponents proved to be no problem, as the Dukes had 31 shots on goal, while Le Moyne struggled to give junior goalkeeper Amy Atlig any action in her 16 minutes of play. For the remaining 44 minutes, sophomore goalkeeper Livvy King saw 11 shots on goal, and had four saves with 2 goals allowed.

Decker's one assist moved her into seventh place all-time in points in JMU history, with 180. Nine other players also contributed assists.

"This was an all together exciting team win, and we look forward to the CAAs and then, eventually, the NCAAs," senior midfielder Meghan Hannum said.

The team was handed its first loss March 14 by the University of Notre Dame, resulting in a score of 9-7. Notre Dame currently is ranked third in the nation.

JMU defeated Virginia Tech, 20-8, Sunday at home. Decker scored 6 goals in the contest and freshman midfielder Kelly Berger added 5 goals of her own. The Dukes out-shot the Hokies, 38-29.

The Dukes continue play March 26 at 4 p.m. against Loyola University in Baltimore, Md. Conference play begins the first week of April, with JMU taking on the College of William & Mary April 2.