Image courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications

By Bennett Conlin (This content was originally published in our newsletter)

Stony Brook bests the Dukes – In a hard-fought game, Stony Brook beat JMU 10-9 in overtime. The Dukes had plenty of chances to win, but the talent gap wasn’t monumental and both teams were evenly matched. It was a fun game to watch. 

Ally Kennedy stars – Stony Brook’s Ally Kennedy was the best player on the field. She was scrappy, tenacious and athletic. She led the Seawolves with four goals and four ground balls. She was awesome, and one of the biggest reasons Stony Brook was able to erase a 6-3 deficit and win.

A good season for JMU – The Dukes entered the season at No. 4 following its stellar 2018 season. In hindsight, the Dukes were slightly overrated because they were the defending national champs, but they finished the season 16-4 with all four losses coming to ranked teams. JMU was still very good. 

Next season – JMU returns Logan Brennan, Maddie McDaniel, Molly Dougherty, Charlotte Haggerty and more. JMU loses leading scorer Hanna Haven, but returns its next nine leading goal scorers. The Dukes’ attack is going to be dynamite in 2020. Defensively, the Dukes lose a few stellar seniors, but return goalie Molly Dougherty, which gives them plenty to build around on the back end. 

Given the team’s talent level and coaching ability, it’s likely JMU will be a top-10 caliber team next year.