Women’s Lacrosse game of the week: No. 14 James Madison vs. No. 4 Johns Hopkins

The college lacrosse season has taken flight with several intense matchups underway.

The No. 14 Dukes will host the No. 4 Blue Jays on their home turf Wednesday night at Sentara Park.

The Dukes have had a fiery start to the season, as they come into this week’s game after an 18-3 win over Old Dominion. They are now 6-3 on the season and 2-0 in American Athletic Conference play.

As a team, James Madison tallies 113 goals, 39 assists and a .792 shots on goal percentage.

The Blue Jays hold a 7-2 record and have 126 goals, 81 assists and a .729 shots on goal percentage. They will travel to Harrisonburg following a 17-6 win over Rutgers and a 2-0 record in Big Ten conference play.

The two teams played each other last year. James Madison fell to Johns Hopkins in a 21-13 defeat.

In the 2025 season, attacker Maddie Epke leads the Dukes with 24 goals. The junior also tallies 11 assists and 35 points. Where she truly shines, though, is on the draw circle. She has 103 draw controls on the season thus far.

Alongside Epke is attacker Savannah Derey, who has scored 23 goals and three assists. The senior has totaled 26 points.

On the other end of the field, defender Reese Cuviello is coming into the game as the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week. She is the fifth Duke to earn at least one weekly conference award in the 2025 season.

The freshman is second on the team in turnovers caused with seven, and ground balls with 12. Her 15 draw controls also earned her the third-highest spot on the team in that category.

For the Blue Jays, the duo of Ashley Mackin and Ava Angello will challenge the Dukes’ defense. Mackin has 36 goals on the season and Angello has 30.

The defensive battle will continue with Reagan O’Brien who leads the Blue Jays in caused turnovers. She has 32 total on the season and earned 6 in the game against Rutgers. She now ranks fourth in program history.

Laurel Gonzalez has shown up for the Blue Jays’ midfield. The freshman has 84 draw controls, which ranks fifth most in single-season history.

There will be a certain forceful attack from both offenses in this game. Neither will get to the net easily, though.

Hopkins must navigate past AAC Defensive Player of the Week, Cuviello, as the Dukes will face O’Brien and her proficiency in causing turnovers.

This game will be a fairly even fight from both sides and in all areas of the field. It will be something you certainly don’t want to miss.

Logan Quinn is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email lbq5033@psu.edu