Dukes No Match For Hokies

BLACKSBURG, VA - The Hokies headed to Harrisonburg to battle newly minted ALC foe, James Madison University Dukes.  After a slow start going down 2-0, the Hokies cruised to a final of 17-8.

The Dukes started off 1-0 after capitalizing on an offsides call on the Hokies. They would follow that up with another goal off a rebound to score and take a 2-0 lead.  The Hokies would settle down and get a goal off a tenacious ride from sophomore Aidan Smith off a pass from junior Grayson Barker.  This opened the floodgates as the offense began to find their rhythm finishing the first quarter taking a 4-2 lead.

The second quarter would see much of the same as the Hokies faceoff unit began to dominate lead by Adam Greenfield ('25) and Daniel Gaffney ('23).  Some stout defense lead to JMU scoring just one goal while the offense stayed on fire sticking five goals in the second quarter lead by junior Grayson Barker who finished with 4G, 1A on the day.

The third quarter saw JMU draw first blood to close the gap to 9-5, but the Hokies defense buckled down behind some key saves from Hunter LeClair ('22).  With a few transition plays and opportunities the Hokies were able to end the third quarter with a 14-7 lead behind attackmen Aidan Smith ('24), Jonathan Cole ('23) and midfielder Tyler Crookes ('24).

The fourth quarter saw much of the same as the offense continued to apply pressure to the Dukes and defense held strong earning the Hokies a victory.

"I was proud of our team's performance today." stated Head Coach Panchito Ojeda "We arrived in a hostile environment and kept our composure when going down 2-0.  We are looking forward finishing fall with a test against Liberty."