BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech fell to No. 12 James Madison, 8-6, on Wednesday night in a tightly-contested defensive battle.
The Hokies fell behind early, trailing 4-1 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Tech came out firing and scored three goals in the first six minutes. Claire Schotta struck first less than 30 seconds into the period, followed by Lauren Render netting her first career goal at the 10:12 mark. Less than a minute later, Whitney Liebler scored her first of the game by making an acrobatic move to get a shot off and even up the score.
The Dukes tacked on two more goals in the quarter before Blair Guy scored her second of the game with 34 seconds remaining in the half to send Tech into the break trailing 6-5.
Both sides matched the intensity in the second half, as only three goals were scored in the final 30 minutes.
Schotta scored her second with 4:24 remaining in the third quarter to match an early second-half goal.
Tech couldn't find one more goal, however, and JMU found an insurance goal in the fourth quarter to wrap up the win.
Freshman Jocelyn Torres looked strong again protecting the cage and recorded 10 saves that kept the Hokies competitive.
Virginia Tech will be back in action on Sunday at noon against Mercer at Thompson Field.
Gallery: (2-15-2023) LAX: JMU Match
