HARRISONBURG, Va. - Delphine Le Jeune converted on a penalty stroke with 2:54 remaining in regulation to lift the No. 18 nationally ranked Old Dominion field hockey team (2-1) over No. 24 James Madison (2-1) by a 3-2 score on Friday night at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.
"We are really pleased with our team's performance tonight," said ODU associate head coach Natalie Holder. "We took a big step in our gameplay and had some great individual performances. JMU is always a tough team to play; they are well coached and very aggressive. So, to come and beat them on their home field is a strong statement win for us.
We are excited about where we are with this group and each week we are finding ways to get better."
The Dukes jumped out to an early 1-0 lead 6:08 into the first quarter after reigning CAA Player of the Year, Eveline Zwager, tucked away her third goal of the season.
Five minutes into the second frame, ODU's Marlon de Bruijne tied up the match off a corner taken by Meghan Smart, which was tapped to de Bruijne by Alice Demars.
Old Dominion held advantages for shots (5-2), as well as corners (3-0) in the first half.
Evelyn Murray gave the Monarchs a 2-1 lead six minutes into the second after dribbling past a couple of JMU defenders and finding the back of the net from the right side through traffic.
Tori Carawan tied the match for James Madison, 2-2, five minutes into the fourth quarter.
With the match tied late into the fourth quarter, Le Jeune blasted the game-winning goal past the JMU keeper off a penalty stroke. The goal was Le Jeune's second goal in as many games.
For the match, Cam MacGillivray was credited with five saves in goal for the Monarchs. ODU outshot James Madison 11-8 for the game and took six of the match's eight corners.
Old Dominion will return to action on Friday, September 10 at 5 p.m., when the Monarchs welcome Longwood to the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
Late Goal Lifts No. 18 ODU Over No. 24 JMU in Harrisonburg, 3-2
