No. 4 Duke Rebounds with 2-1 Overtime Win at JMU

Sunday, October 18

Harrisonburg, Va.

1:00 PM

Duke University

James Madison

No. 4 Duke Rebounds with 2-1 Overtime Win at JMU

10/18/2015 3:50:00 PM | Field Hockey

By: Duke Sports Information

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Sophomore Alexa Mackintire launched a top shelf goal 40 seconds into overtime to lift fourth-ranked Duke over No. 18 James Madison in dramatic fashion Sunday at the Dukes' Field Hockey Complex. The Blue Devils bounced back from a one-goal loss at North Carolina Friday night to collect their third overtime victory of the season and move to 11-4 overall.

After shutting out the Dukes (11-4) for all but three minutes in regulation, head coach Pam Bustin's squad needed just 40 seconds to score in extra time. Senior back Hannah Barreca set up Mackintire, who flicked the ball off a defender and over James Madison goalkeeper Sara Kraeutler for the third game-winning goal of her career.

“We knew that they were down a person still – they had a green card very close to the end of regulation,” Bustin said. “For us, it was just to work the attack, sustain the attack and put the pressure on while we're a man up. The kids were really poised in achieving that. It was a great shot by Alexa – right off the defender because they were a little scrambled. It was a good finish.”

With Duke leading 1-0 following the first 35 minutes, James Madison spent the second half in search of the equalizer. The Dukes pulled Kraeutler from the cage inside the final five minutes, allowing the squad to move toward the attacking end with an extra field player. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Lauren Blazing made an initial stop on a shot by Taylor West before Melanie Kusakavitch took advantage of a chaotic scene in front of the goal to even the match with 3:04 remaining. However, a James Madison player was issued a green card with just 41 seconds to go, leaving the home team down a player heading into overtime.

Blazing was tested throughout the opening half as well, posting seven saves and anchoring a unit that neutralized five James Madison corners. The Blue Devils capitalized on the strong defensive performance to go ahead just over 17 minutes in when junior midfielder Hunter Bracale found sophomore Ashley Kristen on the right side of the cage. Kristen took the ball in for her sixth goal of the season.

Blazing made two stops on corner opportunities in the final minute of the opening period to send the visiting Blue Devils into the intermission with the 1-0 advantage.

“It took all of our defensive energy for a while to keep in position,” Bustin said. “I thought [the defense] did a pretty good job of staying engaged under a lot of pressure for most of the game.”

For the contest, James Madison recorded 16 shots to seven by Duke and led in penalty corners, 8-2, though neither side converted on its corner opportunities.

Blazing reached double digits in the saves column for the second time this fall, notching 10 against the 16 shots. Kraeutler had two saves for the Dukes in the loss.

“For us, again, it's really just to maintain our tempo and try possess the ball as much as possible,” Bustin said. “We still have to get better at that. Going into this weekend it's going be really important to keep position with everybody involved – everybody has to stay involved for a successful possession, and we'll work on that this week.”

The Blue Devils return to Durham this weekend for their final home contest of the regular season. The squad hosts ACC opponent Syracuse for Senior Day Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. on ESPN3.

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