NCAA Rewind: Epke steps up, defense struggles for JMU

What went wrong: About that defense. JMU’s vaunted zone took a step back in 2024, tying Coastal Carolina for 56th nationally in scoring (11.75 goals against per game). Change was needed, however, as Shelley Klaes lost defensive mainstays Mairead Durkin. Lizzy Pirisino and Nichole Marshall were returning starters, but three new players stepped into the starting lineup: freshman Ava Bleckley, sophomore Courtney Quirk and senior Alex Pirisino.

That inconsistent defense led to some struggling performances, including a 21-13 loss to Johns Hopkins and two crucial losses to Florida — 15-7 on April 13 and 21-11 on May 4. JMU’s season ended with another one-sided performance, a 17-7 loss to Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Highlights of the season: This is likely a toss-up between James Madison’s first win of the season — 19-18 in overtime against North Carolina — and its final win of the season — 14-13 against Penn State.

The latter was Epke’s breakthrough, with the sophomore leading the charge against the Tar Heels with seven goals, one assist and 10 draw controls. The first was a late comeback in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when Taylor Marchetti tied the game with 3:26 left and Peterson found Epke for the winner with 2:26 left.

Pronunciation: Many teams would find themselves in the NCAA Tournament in the second round, and that has become something of a standard for the Dukes. However, their calling card has changed from a defensive force to a team that primarily plays offense. Will that change naturally in 2025?