Championship Central
FOLEY, Ala. – Making its third consecutive appearance in the title match, top-seeded James Madison secured its first Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Championship in a 3-2 victory over third-seeded Texas State on Saturday evening at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex.
Senior Shea Collins registered a five-point performance and played a part in all three James Madison (12-3-5) scores with two goals and one assist. Collins was named the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Championship’s Most Outstanding Performer.
The Dukes earned the Sun Belt’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will learn their postseason destination on Monday, November 11 during the NCAA Selection Show which airs at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.
James Madison got its offense started early when the defense advanced a pass forward to freshman Ginny Lackey in the middle of the field. She touched a long pass to the far side of the field that that found Collins breaking free. Collins settled and touched a shot past the goalkeeper and into the opposite corner the first goal of the match.
Just nine minutes later, the Dukes set up another attack when junior Jordan Yang sent a pass ahead to Collins positioned near the end line. Collins pushed a pass to the top of the box that found senior Sophia Verrecchia who buried a shot into the right side of the net to extend the advantage to 2-0.
Texas State (12-5-5) settled into the match from that moment, applying is own pressure on the James Madison defense. The Bobcats were awarded a penalty kick on a foul deep inside the Dukes’ goal area in the 22nd minute where fifth-year Mya Ulloa converted the shot to her left and past a diving goalkeeper to cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
The tally marked Ulloa’s third consecutive match with a goal in this year’s tournament.
The Dukes made a costly error just over nine minutes into the second half on a clear by the Bobcats’ defense. Senior Zoe Junior chased down the cleared ball and caused a turnover on a short pass backward by James Madison before racing free on a breakaway approximately 45 yards away from the target. Junior eventually slipped a shot past the oncoming goalkeeper near top of the goal box before it rolled into the net to tie the match, 2-2.
Defense, huge saves and physical play on both sides dominated the subsequent 30 minutes of action before the Dukes pieced together one last big play that proved to be the difference-maker early in the 89th minute.
With her back to the goal just inside Texas State’s side of midfield, Lackey turned and fired a long pass to her left down the near side of the field that found Collins once again racing with open grass in front of her. She angled toward the middle of the field upon receiving Lackey’s pass, raced toward the net and fired a point-blank strike into the top of the net for the game-winning goal.
2024 Sun Belt Women’s Soccer All-Tournament Team
2024 Women’s Soccer Elite Award Winner: Amanda Attanasi, James Madison
Most Outstanding Performer – Shea Collins, D/M, James Madison
Sofia DeCerb, GK, James Madison
Ginny Lackey, F, James Madison
Sophia Verrecchia, M, James Madison
Jordan Yang, D, James Madison
Kennley Bradley, D, Texas State
Mady Soumare, F, Texas State
Mya Ulloa, M, Texas State
Gry Boe Thrysoe, M, Old Dominion
Katie Lutz, D, Old Dominion
Ashton Eleanor, F, Coastal Carolina
Julia Ziegenfuss, F, Coastal Carolina
All-Time Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Tournament Champions
2000 – FIU
2001 – Denver
2002 – Denver
2003 – Denver
2004 – North Texas
2005 – North Texas
2006 – Denver
2007 – Denver
2008 – Denver
2009 – Denver
2010 – Middle Tennessee
2011 – FIU
2012 – North Texas
2013 – South Alabama
2014 – South Alabama
2015 – South Alabama
2016 – South Alabama
2017 – South Alabama
2018 – Little Rock
2019 – South Alabama
2020 – South Alabama
2021 – South Alabama
2022 – Old Dominion
2023 – Old Dominion
2024 – James Madison