Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, DE -- Sophomore midfielder Emily Schaknowski scored the game-winning goal with 1:17 left in the second half to help Delaware to a 13-12 come-from-behind victory over James Madison in Colonial Athletic Association women's lacrosse action Friday night at Rullo Stadium.

The Blue Hens (9-3, 3-1 CAA) got a team-high four goals from freshman midfielder Julianna Jeffers (at right), while seniors Katie Muth and Casey McCrudden both recorded hat tricks. Midfielder Kim Griffin was a force for the Dukes' attack, finding the net six times.

With the scored knotted at 12 and 1:45 on the clock, UD defender Angela Gaeta picked up a ground ball after James Madison's Jess Brophy lost control of the ball in the midfield. The Hens patiently worked it to Schaknowski, who juked left past a JMU defender, found space in front of the goal, and fired a left-handed laser past Kelly Wetzel to put Delaware ahead to stay.

In a contest that featured nine ties and six lead changes, the Blue Hens came out on top by scoring the game's last two goals and holding JMU scoreless over the final 8:14.

After Muth, McCrudden, and Jeffers netted three unanswered goals in a seven-minute span to give UD an 11-9 advantage with just under 15 minutes left, the Dukes responded with a three-goal spurt of their own and went up 12-11 on Griffin's final score of the evening at the 8:14 mark.

The Hens drew even thanks to a heads-up play from Jeffers, who intercepted a looping cross-field pass by Brophy and raced toward the net uncontested. She took full advantage of the blunder, firing a shot past Wetzel to make it 12-all with just 5:57 remaining.

UD fell behind 7-5 at intermission, but outscored JMU 6-2 over the first 15:19 of the second period to take command at 11-9. Freshman midfielder Lindsey Coon set the tone just 30 seconds into the stanza, pulling the Hens to within one with the second goal of her young career. Muth took over from there, scoring three times in under four minutes - all on free-position shots - to pull the Hens even at 9-9 with 21:43 left.

Delaware, which moved into a first-place tie with Towson at 3-1 in league play, has won three consecutive games and six of its last seven. The Blue Hens also extended their home win streak to 15, tied for second-longest in the nation. UD hasn't dropped a game at Rullo Stadium since late in the 2006 campaign.

Junior goalkeeper Jessica Cerveny collected eight saves, including a point-blank stop with under a minute left that preserved the victory. Wetzel made seven saves of her own James Madison, which fell to 5-7 overall and 1-2 in the CAA.

Sophomore attack Courtney Aburn contributed one goal and one assist for Delaware, while JMU got two goals and an assist from attack Jaime Dardine.

The Hens and Dukes continued their spirited and always high-scoring rivalry by playing toe-to-toe throughout. JMU enjoyed a 26-25 edge in shots, but Delaware tallied 18 ground balls to the Dukes' 14 and forced 14 Madison turnovers. Neither team ever led by more than two goals.

Delaware snapped a three-game skid against JMU and avenged last season's 15-13 loss to the Dukes in the CAA semifinals.

The Blue Hens are off to their best 12-game start since they began the 2000 season at 10-2.

UD returns to the field on Sunday, when Kim Ciarrocca's squad will celebrate Senior Day by hosting No. 12 George Mason at 1 p.m.

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