HARRISONBURG, Va., Oct. 26, 2011 – James Madison junior Paul Wyatt (Modbury, England/Ivybridge) scored one goal and assisted on two others as the 17th-ranked Dukes downed No. 14 Old Dominion 3-2 in Colonial Athletic Association men’s soccer Wednesday night at the JMU Soccer Complex.

With the win the Dukes claimed sole possession of first place in the league standings with an 8-1 mark.  JMU improved to 12-2-1 overall with its fourth straight win and closed out home regular-season play with a 9-0 record.

ODU's record now stands at 11-3-0 overall and 7-2 in the CAA.  The loss ended the Monarchs' winning streak at seven.

With two games remaining JMU can finish no worse than second in the league, which gives the Dukes a first-round bye in the six-team CAA Tournament.  The top seed hosts the tournament on Nov. 10, 11 & 12.

The Dukes never trailed in the match, taking a 1-0 lead on Wyatt's goal in the 33rd minute.  After ODU tied the game when senior Tommy Webb (Auckland, New Zealand/Westlake Boys) knocked in a rebound in the 56th minute, the Dukes pushed their lead to 3-1 on scores by senior Patrick Innes (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) at 70:23 and by freshman Jonathan Barden (Harrow, England/Park) at 78:55.  An ODU penalty kick in the 81st minute closed the gap to 3-2.

JMU out-shot ODU 20-5, although the Monarchs capitalized on the few scoring opportunities they had.

Wyatt's goal came after he dribbled straight down the middle of the pitch, starting his run just inside the midfield line.  He eluded several ODU defenders and raced into the box, where he beat junior goalkeeper Victor Francoz (Fleurieu Sur Saone,France) with a low six-yard shot to the right corner.

Webb's goal came after a hard shot from about 35 yards by sophomore Alex Vaughan (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) was stopped by redshirt senior goalkeeper Justin Epperson (Herndon, Va./Oakton).  Webb pounced on the rebound and knocked the ball into the goal from close range.

The Dukes regained the lead when Wyatt got the ball to Innes on the right side of the box.  He dribbled a few steps before beating Francoz with a shot from five yards into the right corner of the goal.

Barden's first career goal gave the Dukes a 3-1 advantage.  Wyatt's pass found Barden near the edge of the 18, where he delivered a low shot to the right side of the goal.

ODU sophomore Jason Gaylord (Kendall, N.Y./Kendall) converted the penalty kick after a JMU defender was called for a foul in the box.

Epperson finished with two saves, and Francoz had five stops.
 
Post-Game Comments from JMU Coach Tom Martin:
"That first half may have been one of the best halves we've had. We created a lot of chances.  We played very, very well.  Our game plan was to play territorially. We wanted to play in their end.   We made two mistakes, and it made it a little bit closer game than it really should have been, but make no mistake, Old Dominion is an excellent team. Tonight just happened to be our night."

On the play of Paul Wyatt:
"If you put a paint brush on his rear end, he'd probably paint the whole field if you let him.  His work rate is just phenomenal.  He is a leader by example, he is a vocal leader, and he puts kids on his back.  He did a very good job, and tonight was a classic example of that, but credit to everybody.  We got them on a counter for (Jonathan) Barden's goal and Pittsy's (Patrick Innes) goal was kind of a semi-counter. We were dangerous on dead balls most of the evening and we did what we do well.   worked; we worked together as a group. Kids came off of the bench and played very well, and we got the result we deserved."

On the Dukes' 9-0 home record:
"I'm extremely proud of every one of them because they've grown into a situation where they know their roles.  If they are coming off of the bench, if they're not playing, they're pushing other kids, and that’s a very hard thing to do with a big squad.  Hats off to every one of them. They set a mission in the beginning of the season to not lose at home and steal some games on the road, and now it's time for them to raise the bar a little bit higher and build on this."