Lackey's goal puts Dukes over Georgia State

HARRISONBURG, Va. A goal from the first striker in the first half Ginny Lackey was the deciding factor as James Madison women's soccer defeated Georgia State 1-0 to remain undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play Wednesday night at Sentara Park.

The Dukes moved to 6-3-3 (4-0-1 Conf.) while Georgia State fell to 1-7-5 (0-2-3 Conf.). Lackey's goal is her eighth in seven games, assisted tonight by the redshirt midfielder Lexi Vanderlinden. Senior striker Amanda Attanasi The Duke offense led the way with six shots and put three on goal. Lackey had to take four shots as a junior midfielder to follow suit Jamie Swartz three booted. JMU outscored the Panthers 15-2, its largest shooting margin of the season and the smallest allowed to an opponent all year.

Redshirt freshman Sofia DeCerb made her 12th start and played all 90 minutes to record the third shutout of the season and her career.

Quote from the head coach Joshua Walters, Sr.
“I enjoyed the team’s reaction after the ULM game. We controlled large parts of the game both in possession and in pressing. I felt like we deserved those three points tonight in such an important East Division game.”

How it happened

• The Duke offense got going early, with Lackey and Attanasi scoring on goal in the 14th and 17th minutes, respectively.
• Senior striker Shea Collins In the 23rd minute, he almost got the Dukes on the board with a shot that went just wide.
• Seconds later, Lackey found the back of the net to give JMU a 1-0 lead.
• JMU's defense was completely out of action in the first half and didn't allow a shot until the 40th minute, but it was cleared by a save from the team.
• The defense held strong again to start the second half, and another team parried a Panther shot in the 55th minute.
• JMU had several opportunities to extend its lead throughout the half, with Attanasi firing two more shots on goal and Lackey and Swartz firing one each.
• The Dukes were able to possess the ball down the stretch and finish the win with the only goal.

Quick facts

• With her conference-leading sixth assist of the season, Vanderlinden now sits alone at 11th in the all-time program rankings for career assists (21).
• Today's win was the Dukes' first one-goal game of the season and the fifth straight game in which ten or more shots were made.
• The Dukes remain undefeated on their home court against Georgia State.

Next

JMU returns to the South for another Sun Belt Conference game against Georgia Southern on Sunday, October 13th. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.