App State Defeats James Madison to Claim Regular Season Co-Champion Title

HARRISONBURG, Va. – The App State field hockey team defeated James Madison by a score of 4-3 on Sunday. With Sunday's win, the Mountaineers are back-to-back MAC Regular Season Co-Champions and earn a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament.
 
The Mountaineers (11-7, 7-1 MAC) came into today's matchup after previously defeating Queens, and App State's win against James Madison (13-5, 7-1 MAC) is the third consecutive win against the Dukes.
 
Lise Boekaar, Kassie Paul and Florine Koopman all found the back of the cage against the Dukes, with Paul tallying two on the day.
 
The Mountaineers played both sides of the ball extremely well, holding a James Madison team that is first in the MAC in goals to seven shots for the game. The Mountaineers earned 10 corners in the contest, a sharp comparison to the two from James Madison.
 
How it Happened
 
1st: The Mountaineers opened the game putting pressure on the Dukes, tallying five shots and earning four corners in the period. Boekaar put the Mountaineers on the board first six minutes into the game, giving App State a 1-0 lead going into the second.  

2nd: It was more of the same for the Mountaineers, tallying three shots and earning a corner. Both teams were held scoreless in the period, as both teams battled for possession before heading into the halftime break.    

3^rd: It was an offensive clinic for both teams, with four goals scored in the period. Paul scored her first goal of the game early in the quarter, but James Madison answered back with 2 goals of their own. Paul ended the quarter with her second goal of the game, giving the lead back to the Mountaineers. App State earned three corners and three shots, as they dominated a lot of the possession. App State held a 3-2 lead going into the final period of the game.
 
4^th: The final period was a thrilling one, as Koopman scored her fifth goal of the season early in the period. James Madison answered back on a penalty corner, trimming the lead back to one with five minutes left in the contest. The Mountaineers held firm in the final minutes of the game, even being down one on a Frederique Grimbergen yellow card. App State prevailed in the end, defeating the Dules 4-3.
 
Match Notes
Goals
App: Boekaar (3), Paul (4), Koopman (5)
JMU: Roeper (14), Tambroni (8)
 
Assists
App: Koopman (3), Ginjaume Matas (4), Ball (3)
JMU: Tierney(1), Beers (2)

Winning Goalie – Claire Grenis (13-5): 1 save, 3 goals allowed  
Losing Goalie – Katie Fricke (3-1): 3 saves, 4 goals allowed 
 
Up Next
The Mountaineers will travel to Oxford, Ohio to play in the MAC Tournament on Thursday. The Mountaineers will have a first-round bye in the tournament and will play the winner of Game 2 of the tournament.