Troy soccer battles to scoreless draw with James Madison at home

The Troy soccer team held firm this past Sunday, driving James Madison to a 0-0 scoreless draw. The Dukes controlled possession the majority of the match, outshooting the Trojans 21-1.  

Troy’s single shot came from first-year Isabella Hartofelis in the second half, giving the Trojans an offensive chance in such a defensively dominated game.  

"We just weathered storm after storm,” said head coach Stuart Gore. “We held the best player in our league to three shots and no shots on target.  

“I couldn't be prouder of the team effort." 

The Trojans backfield put on a striking performance, as sophomore Brooke Slater and freshman Izzy Skinner locked down James Maddison’s star forward Ginny Lackey. The two defenders worked together to limit Lackey to three shots, none of which were on target.  

Along with nine saves from goalkeeper Taylor Richards, their defense efforts kept the Dukes from scoring and helped the team secure a road point. Richards earned Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season for her performance. 

Grace DeShetler also had a great defensive performance, helping the backfield shut down the Dukes. The sophomore was able to disrupt JMU’s passing lanes and was able to push the game forward. 

“She’s a workhorse — she’s always back in positions, and she gets out.” said Gore. “She can get us forward, and I was really proud of Grace tonight," 

Richards was an anchor for the Trojans, matching her career high in saves. The clean sheet earned Richards her fourth shutout of the season, which ties her for the Sun Belt lead. 

Richards is 19^th in the nation with a .868 save percentage and has only allowed .700 goals against average – second in the Sun Belt. Her breakout season has marked her as one of the league’s top goalkeepers, and one of the best backstops in the country. 

“It’s much easier to do what we did at home, but it's much tougher to do it away,” Gore said. “Now we need to lockdown things and make it even more airtight.” 

The draw is Troy’s fourth shutout of this season, adding a point to the Trojans conference record. The Trojans will be back on the field Thursday, Oct. 2, as they travel to Norfolk, Virginia, to go head-to-head with Old Dominion. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.