BOONE, N.C. - In the first away match of the 2016 season, Appalachian State University field hockey falls to No. 19 James Madison 5-1 in Harrisonburg, Va on Friday night.

The Dukes (3-0) started off the match applying much pressure at net and scored the first goal of the game in the 6th minute. JMU's Miranda Rigg received a great pass from  Sarah Floeter from right field to jump up on the board first. After twenty-minutes of back-and-forth possession and aggressive play, JMU struck again, this time off of a double assisted goal to extend their lead to 2-0. 

Only down by two, the Mountaineers (0-3) did not let the Duke lead phase them in executing their game plan. In the 33rd minute of the match, Melissa Nobile scrambled for the ball and pushed the perfect pass to Julia Wenz who sent a rocket into the net to bring the score to 2-1 at the end the half.

In a close match, both teams were eager to stay aggressive and dominate the pitch. The Dukes quickly found their rhythm and smacked their third goal into the net one minute and seven seconds into the half. Soon thereafter, JMU's Miranda Riggs would score her third goal of the game tipping the ball past the goal line from a penalty corner. 

Two minutes later, JMU's Ashley Gippe sent in the final blow smashing an unassisted shot past the right shoulder of App goalkeeper Rachel Gaines to end the match 5-1.

Offense

James Madison controlled most of the match and provided more offensive plays than the Mountaineers. The Dukes had the upper-hand in total shots (24-6), shots on goal (13-4), and penalty corners (7-3).

At Net

Gaines held her own at net against the 24 shots brought by the Dukes. The Ohio-native deflected eight shots on goal and played for 70:00 minutes.

Up Next

The Black and Gold will travel to Davidson, N.C to play LIU Brooklyn in the Blackbird's second ever field hockey match on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 1 p.m.