HARRISONBURG, Va. - Georgia Southern women's soccer collected its sixth straight win on Sunday, notching a 2-1 road Sun Belt Conference win over James Madison on Sunday,
With one match left to play in the regular season, Georgia Southern (11-5, 6-3 SBC) moves one point ahead of Old Dominion in the East Division overall standings, but Sun Belt regulations count in-division points to determine who finishes atop the side in the quest for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, in which ODU holds a two-point lead with out-of-division opponents remaining for both teams. The Eagles will have a chance to clinch the No. 3 overall seed on Wednesday when Georgia Southern hosts Troy at 6 p.m., depending on other results on the week. James Madison falls to 6-3-8 overall and 3-1-5 in the Sun Belt with the loss.
Facing a team that had played three straight 0-0 draws, the Eagles were able to strike first late in the first half. Senior Maya Zovko lifted a long ball behind the defense, and senior Faith Phillips got on the end of the service and hit a shot on the bounce that beat JMU goalkeeper Haley Stoup high for third goal of the season in the 43rd minute. Georgia Southern took that 1-0 lead into halftime despite JMU holding a 9-6 edge in shots at the break.
In the second half, the Eagles struck on a counter for a 2-0 lead as sophomore Bri Conley dribbled past the JMU defense and sent a low shot past substitute goalkeeper Alexandra Blom into the bottom left part of the net for her fifth goal of the season in the 53rd minute. It was the first time that James Madison had conceded two goals in a match since September 3, when the Dukes lost 2-1 at No. 8 Santa Clara.
Just two minutes later, however, James Madison got one back as Amanda Attanasi scored to make the score 2-1. But the Eagles would close out the match, holding the Dukes to only one shot over the final 20 minutes of the match to collect the victory.
James Madison finished the match with a 16-9 edge in shots. Freshman Quinn Wilson made six saves in net - five in the first half - to notch the win. JMU held an 8-3 edge in corner kicks, and the Eagles were whistled for five fouls and a pair of offsides, while the Dukes were whistled for four fouls.
"I couldn't be more proud of this group," Georgia Southern head women's soccer coach Chris Adams said. "For us to start conference play 0-3, to now reel off six straight wins is a testament to the character of this team. This was a tough match for us. We've been looking for a win over a Top 50 team in the RPI, and we were finally able to get one of those types of results today. James Madison is a well respected program, and to beat them on the road is a great accomplishment for us. A six-match win streak, matching the one we had last year, was a team goal for us and now we'll do our best to make it seven in a row on Wednesday."
