next game:
at South Carolina
10/23/2022 | 3 p.m
ESPN+
october 23 (Sun) / 3 pm
South Carolina
History
HARRISONBURG, Va. — After trailing at halftime, James Madison redshirt sophomore Ethan Taylor netted the equalizing goal in the 73rd minute to draw West Virginia, 1-1, in Sun Belt Conference men’s soccer play at Sentara Park on Wednesday night.
The Dukes move to 5-6-3, 1-2-2 SBC and are unbeaten in their last four matches, while the Mountaineers are now 4-6-4, 1-1-4.
Redshirt junior Clay Obara and redshirt sophomore Yanis Lelin led the team with two shots each. Freshman Sebastian Conlon saved five shots in goal.
How It Happened
- West Virginia took the first two shots of the contest before Lelin had a look at the top of the box in the 12th minute that was pushed save on a diving stop by Jackson Lee.
- The Mountaineers attack took control of the first half, outshooting the Dukes 5-1 despite all three corners in the half coming from the hosts.
- In the 17th minute, WVU had a chance in the box, but a sliding Conlon was able to come out and save the shot.
- WVU took the lead in the 33rd minute, as Ryan Crooks found the back of the net after a pass from Otto Ollikainen.
- The second half was a tale of a different story for the Dukes. After only one shot in the first half, JMU attempted eight shots.
- The only shot on goal for the Mountaineers came in the 55th minute from Marcus Caldeira.
- The Dukes equalized in the 73rd minute when freshman Cameron Arnold intercepted a pass that was meant for Lee, was able to dribble around him and send a pass across the box to a running Taylor who wouldn’t net the goal.
- JMU had a chance in the final seconds to take the lead, but the shot from Obara ringed off the post.
Game Notes
- The draw is the first draw in the all-time series, with the Dukes now standing at 6-3-1 against the Mountaineers.
- It is the first win of the season for the Dukes after trailing at half, now sitting 1-2.
- All five of Taylor’s career goals have been in conference play, with this one being only his second at home.
Quoting Head Coach Paul Zazenski
“I think we started a little slow, but the guys really had a great second half performance tying up the game after going down a goal in the first half. We were really proud of the efforts in the second half and I think we created a “ton of chances and even had an opportunity at the last second that went off the post, which was tough. West Virginia is an extremely good team, well coached, and coming off a really good year. Any Sun Belt point is difficult and we were.” Happy to get one out of tonight.”
up next
The Dukes head to South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks on Sunday, Oct. 23 for a 3pm kickoff and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
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