Army West Point Athletics

No. 14 Women's Lacrosse Bows Out in First Round of NCAA Tournament to No. 7 James Madison, 12-8
May 12, 2023 | Women's Lacrosse
HARRISONBURG, VA - No. 14 Army West Point women's lacrosse (15-4, 8-1 Patriot League) was defeated by a score of 12-8 to No. 7 James Madison (18-2, 6-0 AAC) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It marked the first NCAA Tournament game for the Black Knights in program history.
Freshman Lindsey Serafine made a career-high 14 saves in the cage for the Black Knights, including seven in the opening quarter to keep the game close into the second half. Julia Gorajek and Julia Franzoni led the offense for Army, each scoring three goals.
The Dukes got out to an early lead, with a pair of goals in the opening five minutes. Brigid Duffy hit the crossbar with her first shot of the day, before seeing a free-position shot saved. Army got on the board at the 9:41 mark in the first quarter, with Duffy feeding Gorajek for a score in transition. Serafine stood tall to keep it a 2-1 game through most of the quarter, making multiple tough stops as the Dukes fired 13 shots in the opening frame. A goal from Isabella Peterson at the 4:15 mark made it a 3-1 James Madison advantage heading into the second quarter.
Serafine continued to dominate to open the second quarter, making three saves in the opening three minutes before a Franzoni goal cut it down to a 3-2 lead. The Dukes were able to capitalize on a woman-up advantage soon after, restoring the two-goal lead. The next two goals would come on free-position attempts for James Madison, who got out to a 6-2 lead at the media timeout. Franzoni made up some ground with her second of the game, with the assist coming from Gorajek before Kathleen Sullivan fired home a goal from the eight-meter which made it a 6-4 game at the half. Serafine's 11 saves at the half marked a new career-high and the draw controls were even at six apiece halfway through.
Army's offense stalled in the third quarter, failing to produce a goal in the frame. Army fired four shots total in the quarter, as James Madison was able to get off eight and put three into the back of the net. The Dukes took a 9-4 advantage into the final quarter. After a woman-down goal for James Madison made it 10-4, Brigid Duffy got in on the scoring with a good move to get free and a finish past Kat Buchanan to make it a five-goal game with 10:33 to play.
James Madison responded to the Army goal, with another woman-down score before Maddie Epke scored to make it a 12-5 game with 6:50 to play. Army went on a scoring run with 3:45 to play, logging three goals across the span of 65 seconds to make it a 12-8 ginal. Gorajek netted a pair to secure her hat trick, before Franzoni capped her day with a free-position goal for her 41st tally of the season. James Madison got off a season-high 40 shots while the Black Knights fired 21 for the game. The Dukes will advance and take on Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Freshman Lindsey Serafine made a career-high 14 saves in the cage for the Black Knights, including seven in the opening quarter to keep the game close into the second half. Julia Gorajek and Julia Franzoni led the offense for Army, each scoring three goals.
The Dukes got out to an early lead, with a pair of goals in the opening five minutes. Brigid Duffy hit the crossbar with her first shot of the day, before seeing a free-position shot saved. Army got on the board at the 9:41 mark in the first quarter, with Duffy feeding Gorajek for a score in transition. Serafine stood tall to keep it a 2-1 game through most of the quarter, making multiple tough stops as the Dukes fired 13 shots in the opening frame. A goal from Isabella Peterson at the 4:15 mark made it a 3-1 James Madison advantage heading into the second quarter.
Serafine continued to dominate to open the second quarter, making three saves in the opening three minutes before a Franzoni goal cut it down to a 3-2 lead. The Dukes were able to capitalize on a woman-up advantage soon after, restoring the two-goal lead. The next two goals would come on free-position attempts for James Madison, who got out to a 6-2 lead at the media timeout. Franzoni made up some ground with her second of the game, with the assist coming from Gorajek before Kathleen Sullivan fired home a goal from the eight-meter which made it a 6-4 game at the half. Serafine's 11 saves at the half marked a new career-high and the draw controls were even at six apiece halfway through.
Army's offense stalled in the third quarter, failing to produce a goal in the frame. Army fired four shots total in the quarter, as James Madison was able to get off eight and put three into the back of the net. The Dukes took a 9-4 advantage into the final quarter. After a woman-down goal for James Madison made it 10-4, Brigid Duffy got in on the scoring with a good move to get free and a finish past Kat Buchanan to make it a five-goal game with 10:33 to play.
James Madison responded to the Army goal, with another woman-down score before Maddie Epke scored to make it a 12-5 game with 6:50 to play. Army went on a scoring run with 3:45 to play, logging three goals across the span of 65 seconds to make it a 12-8 ginal. Gorajek netted a pair to secure her hat trick, before Franzoni capped her day with a free-position goal for her 41st tally of the season. James Madison got off a season-high 40 shots while the Black Knights fired 21 for the game. The Dukes will advance and take on Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Lindsey Serafine posted a career-high 14 saves in the cage, including ten in the first half.
- Julia Gorajek led Army with four points behind three goals and an assist.
- Julia Franzoni scored three times while securing a pair of draw controls.
- Kathleen Sullivan logged a pair of assists to go along with a goal.
- Brigid Duffy compiled a goal, two assists, five draw controls and two caused turnovers.
- Paige Lennon picked up three ground balls while Malina Hatton secured two.
- The Dukes logged 24 ground balls compared to Army's ten.
- Army won 11 draw controls compared to 13 for James Madison.
Team Stats
ARMY
JMU
Shots
21
40
Turnovers
16
12
Caused Turnovers
4
14
Draw Controls
11
13
Free-Position Shots
8
5
Ground Balls
10
24
Game Leaders
Players
Players Mentioned
Army West Point Rugby vs Walsh University (12-SEP-25)
Friday, September 12
Army at Kansas State Recap
Thursday, September 11
Army vs. Kansas State Game Highlights
Monday, September 08
Women's Army Rugby vs. Long Island University (6-SEP-25)
Sunday, September 07