HARRISONBURG, Va., Oct. 25, 2009 – Amanda Bieber’s penalty corner goal with less than six minutes remaining propelled Old Dominion to a 2-1 win over James Madison in a Colonial Athletic Association field hockey contest on Sunday afternoon at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.

ODU improved to 8-10 overall and 4-3 in the CAA while JMU dropped to 11-6 overall and 5-2 in the league.  The loss dropped the Dukes out of a tie for first in the conference standings, while the win kept ODU in the mix for a spot in the four-team CAA tournament.

All of the scoring in the match occurred in the second half.  The Lady Monarchs earned a penalty corner with six minutes remaining.  Rachel Stream received the ball in the upper right side of the circle and hit toward the cage with Bieber in place to redirect the ball into the right side for the game winner.

The other goal for ODU came from Katie Ueberroth.  The lone JMU tally came from junior Dolores de Rooij (Vlaardingen, The Netherlands/Erasmiaans) with assists from freshman Vivienne Konijnendijk (Rotterdam, The Netherlands/Sint Laurens College) and sophomore Lindsay Cutchins (Suffolk, Va./Lakeland).

The teams were even in shots at 9-9 with JMU leading 7-4 in the second half.  ODU led in penalty corners 9-7.  Senior Kelsey Cutchins (Suffolk, Va./Lakeland) had two saves in goal for JMU, and senior Tara King (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) adding a defensive save.  Kelly Driscoll had four stops for ODU.

The teams battled through even play in the first half.  ODU finally broke through first in the second half on a penalty corner opportunity in the 41^st minute.  Katie Ueberroth made the insert and then positioned herself at the cage.  After several touches, Ueberroth collected the loose ball and connected for the score.

The lead was short-lived as JMU picked up the pace and earned several good looks.  On a penalty corner in the 47^th minute, de Rooij swiped a direct hit from the top for her 11^th goal of the season.  Konijnendijk had the stick stop and Lindsay Cutchins the insert for a pair of assists.

JMU will take the nation’s second-best road record into next weekend’s action with a match Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. against Iowa at American in Washington, D.C.  The Dukes then close CAA play on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Northeastern. 

NOTES: Sunday match was the final home contest of the season for JMU with five seniors recognized prior to the game.  Forward Meghan Bain (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional), Cutchins, back Jessie Dawson (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne), King, and goalkeeper Kristen O'Rourke (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown).  O’Rourke also received her first career start in the match.