HARRISONBURG, Va. – Jazmin Cardoso gave the George Mason women's soccer team an early 1-0 lead, but James Madison used two second half goals to seal a 2-1 victory at University Park on Wednesday night.

“We came with a game plan against a very athletic and willful James Madison team,” commented head coach Diane Drake. “We executed the game plan for a full 90 minutes. I'm proud of the team and we took a huge step tonight in competing”

In front of her hometown crowd, Cardoso opened the scoring with her second goal of the season. The senior collected a Liz Hodges pass and on the left side of the keeper, Cardoso one-touched it and blasted it into the near corner of the net for a 1-0 Patriot lead in the 26^th minute. Lyndse Hokanson kept the Dukes off the scoreboard when Sydney Braun-McLeod tried to find the left corner, but Hokanson scooped up the attempt as Mason held the 1-0 lead at the break. The shots stood even at 3-apiece, including one save each at the end of the first half.

The Dukes knotted the score at 1-all with a unique Katie Hyland tally in the 60^th minute. Ashley Herndon started the play, crossing it to Hyland whose first shot hit the post. On the rebound, Hyland punched it back in as a Mason defender tried to make the save, but the ball crossed the line for the goal.

Mason continued to attack as Cardoso had a chance to put the Patriots back up less than two minutes later, but Ellen Forrest dove to her right and was able to clip the ball with her fingertips to keep it out of the net in the 62 minute of play. JMU's Allie Bunner's header in the 66^th minute went just wide of the post as Bunner made a dive to head the ball that failed to find the back of the net.

Bunner eventually connected in the 86^th minute to give the Dukes a 2-1 advantage, which proved to be the final score. In position at the corner of the net, Bunner turned on the cross from Herndon and punched it in for the final goal of the game.

JMU (8-3-0) outshot Mason (3-5-1) 13-2 in the second half for a final 16-5 shots advantage for the game. The Dukes put seven of those shots on target as Hokanson made four saves playing the full 90 minutes. Forrest collected two stops to finish the game with the win. JMU, ranked second in the Mid-Atlantic regional poll, extended its win streak to five games with the win.

Mason returns to the pitch on Sunday, September 29 hosting Delaware in a 2 p.m. matchup at George Mason Stadium.