James Madison is the first CAA team this season to slay the Dragons.
In what became a goalie clinic in the second half, second-seeded James Madison outlasted top-seeded Drexel to capture its fourth straight CAA championship. It was Lizzy Fox who scored the winner in overtime for a 13-12 victory, but it was Molly Dougherty who largely made it possible.
The redshirt-junior goalie made 16 saves, including a key stop in overtime, to keep a potent Drexel offense mostly at bay. Even as Drexel turned a 9-6 deficit into a 12-9 lead with a furious six-goal lead in the second half, Dougherty held firm.
The Dukes defense stopped the bleeding when down 12-9, allowing the offense to stage a late comeback and force overtime. Taylor Marchetti scored with 4:21 left to cut the score to 12-10, then Emma Greenhill fed Marchetti just over two minutes later to trim the lead to one goal.
Katelyn Morgan scored the equalizer with 1:13 left.
JMU nearly won in regulation, but Drexel goalie Zoe Bennett saved two shots on the doorstep inside 10 seconds remaining to force extra time.
After a silent first overtime period, Mairead Durkin won the draw for the Dukes. A Drexel foul positioned Fox on the eight-meter arc with a chance to win, and she converted.
Isabella Peterson scored five goals for James Madison, which no longer needs to stress about making the NCAA tournament during Sunday night’s Selection Show.
The Dragons, whose only two losses this season came to AQ winners (Loyola and James Madison), will now await the selection committee’s decision. Drexel likely falls out of the seeding conversation because of the loss but could still earn an at-large bid.