HARRISONBURG, Va., Sept. 30, 2012 -- Hofstra (7-4-0, 3-0-0) scored three times in the opening half and beat James Madison (3-9-0, 1-3-0) 3-1 in Colonial Athletic Association women's soccer Sunday afternoon at University Park.

The Pride remained unbeaten and atop the CAA standings with its third straight league win and fourth consecutive overall victory.  JMU dropped its third straight game, all of those coming in league play.

The Pride got on the scoreboard in the opening seconds, when junior Ruby Staplehurst (London, England/St. Thomas More) lofted a ball from behind the midfield line to junior Amber Stobbs (London, England/Warlingham) at the edge of the 18-yard box.  Stobbs chipped the ball over JMU redshirt freshman goalkeeper Ellen Forrest (Midlothian, Va./James River) for a score with just 13 seconds elapsed.

Minutes later JMU got even with the Pride when junior Becky Sparks (Laurel Springs, N.J./Paul VI) scored on a free kick from 40 yards out from near the right sideline at the 4:36 mark.  Hofstra junior goalkeeper Emily Morphitis (London, England/Therfield) leaped to get a touch on the ball, but the ball's momentum carried it into the upper left corner of the goal.

The Pride regained the lead in the 19th minute when freshman Leah Galton (Harrogate, England/St. John Fishers Catholic) delivered a ball into the box from the left side to freshman Jill Mulholland (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur).  Mulholland sidestepped two JMU defenders and knocked the ball into the net from six yards.

Hofstra extended its lead to 3-1 in the closing minutes of the half.   Sophomore Ingrid Moyer (Souderton, Pa./Souderton Area) controlled a pass from sophomore Anya Koren (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) in the middle of the box.  Moyer then passed the ball to sophomore Lulu Echeverry (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) on the right.  Echeverry knocked the ball into the goal from seven yards away with 2:36 left in the half.

Statistics Summary:
Shots:  JMU 7, Hofstra 17
Saves:  JMU, Ellen Forrest 3 (45:00), Marlee Stynchula 4 (45:00); Hofstra, Emily Morphitis 2 (90:00)
Corner kicks:  JMU 2, Hofstra 9
Scoring:
Hofstra - Amber Stobbs (Ruby Staplehurst), 00:13
JMU - Becky Sparks (unassisted), 4:36
Hofstra - Jill Mulholland (Leah Galton), 18:05
Hofstra - Lulu Echeverry (Ingrid Moyer, Anya Koren), 42:24

Game Highlights
First Half:
* Hofstra - Ruby Staplehurst lofts a ball from behind the midfield line to Amber Stobbs at the edge of the 18-yard box.  Stobbs chips the ball over JMU goalkeeper Ellen Forrest and into the net, 0:13.
* JMU - Becky Sparks scores on a free kick from 40 yards out from near the right sideline.  Hofstra goalkeeper Emily Morphitis leaps to get a touch on the ball, but the ball's momentum carries it into the upper left corner of the goal, 4:36.
* Hofstra - Leah Galton delivers a ball into the box from the left side to Jill Mulholland.  Mulholland eludes two JMU defenders and knocks the ball into the net from six yards, 18:05.
* Hofstra - Ingrid Moyer controls a pass from Anya Koren in the middle of the box.  Moyer passes the ball to Lulu Echeverry on the right.  Echeverry knocks the ball in from seven yards away, 42:24.
Second Half:
* JMU - Junior Lauren Wilson (Coatesville, Pa./Downingtown) sends a dangerous ball into the box, but the Hofstra defense clears the ball away, 51:46.
* Hofstra - Junior Tara Kerns (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) hits a high shot from 30 yards, but sophomore goalkeeper Marlee Stynchula (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) makes a leaping save, 60:06.
* Hofstra - Staplehurst lofts a crossing pass from the right side.  Stynchula jumps to stop the ball before it sails into the goal, 66:01.
* Hofstra - Galton shoots from nine yards out on the left side, and Stynchula makes a stop, 66:40.
* JMU - Redshirt freshman Madyson Brown (Herndon, Va./Chantilly) controls a ball five yards from the goal but junior goalkeeper Emily Morphitis (London, England/Therfield) is able to stop the point-blank shot, 73:34.
* JMU - Senior Katie Menzie (Chantilly, Va./Chantilly) takes a shot from 25 yards that is stopped by Morphitis at the lower left corner of the goal, 79:25.
* Hofstra - A corner kick by sophomore Caylin Dudley (Grasonville, Md./Kent Island) is flicked by another Hofstra player to Moyer, but her shot from seven yards sails over the top of the goal, 82:53.
* JMU - Morphitis is off the goal line, but a lofted ball by Brown is well wide of the goal, 85:05.

Of Note
* Hofstra beat JMU for only the second time in the teams' last six meetings.  In that span JMU leads 3-2-1.
* JMU lost its third straight game but its goal vs. Hofstra ended a stretch of two shutout losses.
* Hofstra won its fourth match in a row.
* Hofstra and Delaware share the top spot in the CAA standings with 3-0-0 records.
.* The Dukes' next game is at home against George Mason on Oct. 4 (7 p.m.).

Game Stats
Shots:  JMU 7, Hofstra 17
Saves:  JMU, Ellen Forrest 3 (45:00), Marlee Stynchula 4 (45:00); Hofstra, Emily Morphitis 2 (90:00)
Corner kicks:  JMU 2, Hofstra 9
Scoring:
Hofstra - Amber Stobbs (Ruby Staplehurst), 00:13
JMU - Becky Sparks (unassisted), 4:36
Hofstra - Jill Mulholland (Leah Galton), 18:05
Hofstra - Lulu Echeverry (Ingrid Moyer, Anya Koren), 42:24
 

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