JMU Men Win Sixth in a Row with 3-2 OT Victory at Delaware

October 9, 2011

NEWARK, Del., Oct. 9, 2011 — James Madison senior Patrick Innes (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) scored twice, including the game-winner in overtime, to lead the 21st-ranked Dukes to a 3-2 overtime victory at Delaware in Colonial Athletic Association men's soccer Sunday afternoon.

Innes scored on the only shot of overtime, hitting a free kick from just outside the box to the top right corner of the goal with 36 seconds left in the 10-minute sudden-death period.

The Dukes recorded their sixth straight win, improving to 8-1-1 overall and staying unbeaten and untied in league play with a 4-0-0 CAA record.

Delaware, which saw its home winning streak end at nine games, has a 7-2-1 record and is 2-2-0 in CAA play.  Both of the Blue Hens' losses this season have come to Top 25 teams, JMU and No. 25 Old Dominion.

All four regulation goals were scored in the first half, with JMU taking leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before Delaware's Evans Frimpong twice netted goals to tie the game.

"A CAA win on the road is big.  That's the hardest thing to do on the road," JMU Head Coach Tom Martin said.  "We made a couple of defensive errors in the first half.  Delaware has the most dangerous forward in the conference, and they scored two nice goals.

"We tightened things up in the second half and overtime.  We came back from a couple of errors and got back to doing the things we do well.  It's a testament to the character of this group.  They battled and battled until they got their chance."

Innes scored on JMU's first shot of the game, taking a pass from redshirt junior Christian McLaughlin (Herndon, Va./Herndon) and hitting a 30-yard shot into the top right corner of the goal just 8:42 into the match.

Frimpong tied the game at 1-1 when he beat redshirt senior goalkeeper Justin Epperson (Herndon, Va./Oakton) one-on-one for an unassisted goal in the 37th minute.

Just 3:35 later a McLaughlin pass found junior Paul Wyatt (Modbury, England/Ivybridge), who hit a shot inside the right post for a 2-1 Dukes' lead in the 41st minute.

Minutes later Frimpong took advantage of a defensive lapse by the Dukes to toe-poke a ball into the goal with 1:32 left before intermission.

JMU held a slim 10-9 advantage on shots, and Epperson finished with one save.  Delaware goalkeeper Brandon Paul had two saves.

NOTES:
* Christian McLaughlin, who leads JMU with seven assists, has had an assist in the last four games.

* Goalkeeper Justin Epperson allowed his first goals since a 4-1 loss at No. 5 North Carolina on Oct. 13.  His stretch of 592:26 minutes (which included five shutouts) without allowing a goal is the second-longest individual scoreless stretch in school history, behind the school record of 643:42 by Barry Purcell in 1996.
* Epperson's five consecutive shutouts in the Dukes' previous five matches was one short of the school record of six, set by Josh Kovolenko in 2000.  The JMU team record for consecutive shutouts is seven, by the 1988 team.
* JMU's stretch of six straight wins is the team's longest winning streak since the 2006 team also won six in a row.   In school history, there have been 18 winning streaks of six or more games.  The school record is 15, by the 1993 team.

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