HARRISONBURG, Va., April 4, 2008 -- Freshman Grace Golden (Manhasset, N.Y./Sacred Heart) scored the game-winner in overtime as William and Mary edged 19th-ranked ranked James Madison 11-10 in women's lacrosse Friday evening at the JMU Lacrosse Complex. The Tribe improved to 5-6 with its third straight victory. JMU dropped to 4-6 as the Dukes suffered their third one-goal defeat of the season.

The Colonial Athletic Association opener for both teams was a thrilling match from start to finish, and Golden made a key defensive play to set up the winning score. W&M controlled the opening draw of overtime and worked the clock down in the first three-minute half. Late in the period, with the Tribe working the ball on offense, an errant pass landed behind the goal cage near the end line.

JMU senior goalkeeper Kelly Wetzel (Catonsville, Md./Mount De Sales) raced to the ball and caught it on the bounce. However, Golden checked the ball out of Wetzel's stick, and the ball went out of bounds with possession awarded to W&M. With Wetzel out of position, Golden sprinted around the goal to shoot on an open net. The score came with 15.9 seconds remaining in the first overtime half.

Neither team got a shot off in the second three-minute period, in which the teams combined for five turnovers, four of them forced by the opposition. The Dukes lost the ball three times and W&M turned the ball over twice. Regulation play was a back-and-forth affair that had five ties and three lead changes. In the first 1:02 JMU got goals from senior Annie Wagner (Annapolis, Md./St. Paul's) and junior Jaime Dardine (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) to take a 2-0 lead.

Then W&M junior Clare Dennis (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) and Golden netted a goal apiece to tie the game at 2-2 at 22:44. After a Dardine score at 17:24, Golden and Dennis each converted free-position attempts and Dennis added an unassisted score at 12:17 to put the Tribe ahead 5-3. But the Dukes stormed back, closing out the half by outscoring W&M 3-0. Senior Emily Haller (Fallston, Md./John Carroll) scored off a pass from Wagner at 11:23, and Wagner netted a free-position attempt with 2:05 left. A goal by senior Julie Stone (Annandale, Va./Annandale) with 1:46 left in the half sent the Dukes into intermission leading 6-5.

With JMU ahead 8-6 after a Haller score with 22:43 left, W&M rallied to score four straight goals to regain the lead at 10-8 with 10:11 to play. Senior Jaime Sellers (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) started the run with a free-position goal at 18:02. Then an unassisted score by sophomore Mary Zulty (Jarrettsville, Md./John Carroll) at 13:23 tied the game at 8-8. Zulty added a free-position score at 12:01, and sophomore Katie Rees (Catonsville, Md./Catonsville) put a solo attempt into the net at 10:11.

JMU controlled the ensuing draw, and Stone quickly scored to narrow the W&M lead to 10-9 at 9:50. Wetzel stopped two W&M shots in the next three minutes, including a stop on a shot by Golden with 6:46 to play. The Dukes then got the ball downfield, and redshirt sophomore Kim Griffin (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) delivered a short pass from the right side of the cage to Wagner, who was breaking toward the goal. She caught the pass and released a high shot past W&M freshman goalkeeper Emily Geary (Wayne, Pa./Radnor) to tie the match at 10-10 at 6:06.

In the remaining minutes Geary made saves on shots by Wagner and Haller to prevent the Dukes from taking the lead. Then a foul by a JMU defender stopped the clock and gave W&M a final chance to score with 1.8 seconds left. Golden's last-second shot in regulation was saved by Wetzel, setting up the overtime.

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2008-04-05