Head Coach:  Tom Martin, 27th JMU season, 337-143-51; 36th career season, 456-178-61

This Season:  3-4-1 overall, 1-0-0 in Colonial Athletic Association

JMU Last Season (2011):  13-5-2 overall; 8-3-0 (1st place) CAA; CAA Tournament semifinalist; NCAA Tournament Round of 16

Last Week:
The Dukes lost 4-2 at Loyola on Sept. 22 and dropped a 1-0 game at home to No. 11/5 ranked Georgetown on Sept. 25.

This Week:
Towson at JMU
When:  Saturday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.
Where:  University Park, Harrisonburg, Va. | University Park Fan Page (includes directions)
Admission:  Free
Parking:  Free
Multimedia:  Live Stats

Scouting Towson:  Towson has a 3-4 overall record and is 1-0 in CAA play after opening league competition with a 1-0 home win over Georgia State on Sept. 22.
     Towson was picked by league coaches to finish 11th in the 11-team CAA.

The Series with Towson: JMU leads the series 14-10-1.  In the 12 meetings since Towson joined the CAA in 2002, only once has a team has won consecutive games.  That happened the last three seasons, when JMU claimed victories over the Tigers.
     Four of the last six meetings were one-goal decisions.

JMU vs. Towson All-Time
JMU leads the series 14-10-1.
Home:  9-4-0
Away:  5-5-1
Neutral:  0-1-0

Date, Result, Score, Site
10/19/75, L, 3-5, Home
10/19/76, W, 3-0, Home
10/21/79, W, 3-0, Home
11/9/80, L, 1-3, Away
11/8/81, L, 1-2, Home
10/8/82, W, 2-0, Away
10/9/83, L, 0-1, Home
10/6/84, L, 0-4, Away
10/2/91, W, 1-0, Home
9/30/92, W, 1-0, Away
9/29/93, W, 4-0, Home
10/12/94, W, 6-0, Away
11/23/01, L, 1-4, Chapel Hill, N.C. (UNC), NCAA first round
11/3/02, W, 2-0, Home
11/12/02, L, 0-3, Away, CAA first round
10/10/03, T, 0-0, 2 OT, Away
10/1/04, W, 5-1, Home
9/30/05, L, 0-1, OT, Away
11/8/05, W, 3-1, Home, CAA first round
10/20/06, L, 0-1, Home (20/20)
10/30/07, W, 2-1, OT, Away
11/7/08, L, 3-2, Away
11/7/09, W, 5-2, Home
9/25/10, W, 3-2, OT, Away
9/24/11, W, 3-0, Home

Close Losses:  JMU's 1-0 loss to No. 11/5 Georgetown on Sept. 25 marked the Dukes' third one-goal defeat this season.  All three were by 1-0 margins, including a loss to Richmond and another to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Aug. 24 and 26, respectively.  The 4-2 defeat at Loyola on Sept. 22 is JMU's only loss by more than one goal this year.

Hoyas End School Home Unbeaten Streak Record:  JMU's 1-0 loss to No. 11/5 Georgetown on Sept. 25 ended the Dukes' home unbeaten streak at a school-record 15 games (13-0-2).  The Dukes had not lost a home game since Nov. 6, 2010.  The former school record of 14 (13-0-1) was set over the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
     The Dukes' current streak began with a Sept. 2, 2011, win over Florida Atlantic.  JMU did not lose at home in 2011 (11-0-1), and the Dukes opened 2012 with a 2-0-1 home record.

Longest JMU Home Unbeaten Streaks
15 (13-0-2), 2011-12
14 (13-0-1), 2003-04
13 (11-0-2), 1997-98
13 (11-0-2), 1988-89
12 (11-0-1), 1972-74
11 (9-0-2), 1988
10 (9-0-1), 1989-90
9 (7-0-2), 2006

Sapong #2 on MLS List: Former Dukes player CJ Sapong (JMU 2007-10) has been rated number two on Major League Soccer's list of the league's top players under 24 years old.
     The Sporting Kansas City forward, who has scored game-winning goals in KC's last two victories, is in his second season of MLS play.  He was the 2011 MLS Rookie of the Year.
    According to the MLS "24 Under 24" feature, "Sapong is once again the undisputed first-choice center forward and he has already capitalized on the opportunity with two goals in his first three games as a starter."
     Sapong is further described in the MLS article as "an athletic, strong forward that can really cause center backs problems… Powerful, dynamic young forward with lots of skills, and a great future with the US national team … Has a good attitude and shows good energy on the field … one of the best strikers in MLS.”

Five Opponents Projected for NCAA Field:  Five of the Dukes' opponents are projected to be among the 48 teams in the 2012 NCAA Tournament field, according to the website TopDrawerSoccer.com.  The weekly rankings are a running attempt to project the postseason NCAA Tournament qualifiers, including every automatic conference berth. The Week 6 rankings were released Sept. 24.
     The list includes:
        #3 North Carolina (Sept. 11 (W 1-0)
        #9 Georgetown (Sept. 25) (L 0-1)
        #15 Old Dominion (Oct. 3)
        #35 SIU Edwardsville (Aug. 26) (L 0-1)
        #38 George Mason (Oct. 20)

Martin Is Winningest Active Coach:  Dukes’ head coach Tom Martin is the winningest active coach in NCAA Division I soccer.  In his 36th career season, he has a career record of 456-178-61.  His record in 27 JMU seasons is 337-143-51. 

JMU Week by Week in the National Polls
Highest rank of season in bold
Preseason:  nr Soccer America | votes College Soccer News | #19 NSCAA
Aug. 27:  nr Soccer America | nr College Soccer News | votes NSCAA
Sept. 4:  nr Soccer America | nr College Soccer News | nr NSCAA
Sept. 11:  nr Soccer America | nr College Soccer News | nr NSCAA
Sept. 18:  nr Soccer America | nr College Soccer News | votes NSCAA
Sept. 25:  nr Soccer America | nr College Soccer News | nr NSCAA

CAA Teams, Highest National Rank in 2012
Delaware, votes (College Soccer News preseason)
George Mason, 20th (NSCAA Sept. 18)
Georgia State, votes (NSCAA Aug. 28)
JMU, votes (NSCAA Sept. 18)
Northeastern, votes (NSCAA Sept. 4)
Old Dominion, 4th (Soccer America Sept. 18)

National Rankings:  Six JMU opponents (North Carolina, Old Dominion, Georgetown, SIU Edwardsville, George Mason, VCU) are ranked or are receiving votes in the latest national polls (NSCAA, Soccer America, College Soccer News). 

JMU Opponents in the National Polls (Sept. 24/25)
School, Game Date, Site (Result), Ranking*
SIU Edwardsville, Aug. 26, neutral (L 0-1), votes | nr  | 23
North Carolina, Sept. 11, home (W 1-0), 6 | 8 | 4
Virginia Commonwealth, Sept. 18, home, votes | nr | votes
Georgetown, Sept. 25, home (L 0-1), 5 | 11 | 8
Old Dominion, Oct. 3, away, 14 | 12 | 9
George Mason, Oct. 20, away, votes | nr  | votes
* NSCAA | Soccer America | College Soccer News

In the Region:  Six CAA members, including JMU, are ranked or receiving votes in the Sept. 25 South Atlantic Region Top 10 (NSCAA).  Ranked are Old Dominion (#2), George Mason (#5), JMU (#7), Northeastern (#8), Drexel (#9) and Hofstra (votes).
     Other JMU opponents ranked in region polls include North Carolina (#1 in South), Georgetown (#1 in Northeast), Loyola (#4 in North Atlantic) and Virginia Commonwealth (#3 in Mid-Atlantic).

Earlier Notes
Aug. 22
Aug. 28
Sept. 5
Sept. 12
Sept. 19

 

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