JMU Men Defeat UNC Asheville 4-1

September 4, 2011

HARRISONBURG, Va., Sept. 4, 2011 — James Madison (2-0-0) scored three times in less than nine minutes en route to a 4-1 win over North Carolina Asheville (0-1-1) n Sunday's second round of the JMU/Fairfield Inn by Marriott Men's Soccer Tournament.

In the day's first game, St. Bonaventure (2-2-0) scored once in each half to garner a 2-0 win over Florida Atlantic (1-2-1).

After a scoreless first half, UNCA took a 1-0 lead over JMU after senior Jake Hagedorn (Brevard, N.C./Brevard) blasted a 20-yard shot past redshirt senior goalkeeper Justin Epperson (Herndon, Va./Oakton).  The goal came five minutes into the second period.

Just under 12 minutes later, JMU redshirt junior Christian McLaughlin (Herndon, Va./Herndon) sent a corner kick into the box, where senior Jason Gannon (Vienna, Va./Flint Hill) headed the ball inside the far post to tie the game at 1-1. 

Two minutes later the Dukes took a 2-1 lead on another play that began with a corner kick, taken by senior Patrick Innes (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale).  Junior Dale Robins-Bailey (Bollington, England/Tytherington) headed the ball toward the goal, where redshirt senior Jimmy Simpson (Warrenton, Va./Fauquier) knocked the ball into the net from just outside the goalline.

JMU pushed its lead to 3-1 after Innes blasted a free kick from 35 yards out into the right corner of the goal.  That score came just 5:50 after the Dukes' second goal was scored.

The Dukes' final goal began on a corner kick by freshman Jamal Umar (Herndon, Va./Chantilly).  Robins-Bailey headed the ball from Umar to Gannon, whose header dropped to freshman Boyd Reid (Ajax, Ontario/Pickering) in front of the goalmouth.  Reid sent the pass across the goalline for a 4-1 lead with 8:23 remaining in the match.

"We had a lot of the ball but we weren't dangerous in the first half, not dangerous enough." said JMU Head Coach Tom Martin.  "And they got us in a counter, when the ball came down the left side, it was kind of mis-cleared and one of their guys, to their credit, took a great shot. 

"We made a couple of changes, rotated some people around in the heat, which really helped us.  The big difference was two-fold.  One, we played with a lot more energy in the second half, and maybe because people came off the bench and helped.  We played 18 people.  We don't usually do that, but we did it by design because of the heat and humidity.

"And the second thing was, we executed on dead balls, first and second dead balls.  Kids always say, why are we still practicing these set pieces and these dead balls?  Well, today's exactly why we practice them.  We got good serves from Christian (McLaughlin) and from Adam (Bastidas), and Jason (Gannon) getting on the end of things."

St. Bonaventure scored just 2:26 into its match against Florida Atlantic.  Sophomore Daniel Iannacito (Richmond Hill, Ontario/St. Theresa of Liseux) sent a ball from the center of the field to the left flank.  Sophomore James Reed (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) dribbled down to the end line and sent a pass into the box to sophomore Brad Vanino (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson).  Vanino hit a hard shot from close range that hit off FAU junior goalkeeper Jeremy Crumpton and into the goal.

Bonnies' sophomore James Reed (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) netted his team's second goal with 17:51 left in the second half.  A pass from sophomore Emmett O’Connor (Ajax, Ontario/Archbishop Dennis O’Connor) found Reed in the center of the box, and Reed blasted an eight-yard shot just past a diving Crumpton.

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