Pirates to Face Second-Seeded No. 25 James Madison Thursday

Thursday, April 30

Nashville, TN

8:15 p.m.

East Carolina University

James Madison

Pirates to Face Second-Seeded No. 25 James Madison Thursday

April 29, 2026 | Lacrosse

Game 17: #3 East Carolina (8-8, 3-3 American) vs. #2 No. 25 James Madison (11-6, 5-1 American)
Date	Thursday, April 30
Time	8:15 p.m. (ET)
Location	Nashville, Tenn. (FirstBank Stadium)
Fan Information	Championship Central \| Tailgating
Media Coverage	Live Stats: StatBroadcast Stream: ESPN+
Game Notes	East Carolina
Social Media	Twitter: @e culax Instagram: @eculax

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina lacrosse team is set for the semifinal round of the American Conference Championship, taking on No. 25 James Madison at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday in Nashville's FirstBank Stadium.

The stakes for the game are simple for the Pirates: win and you're in the American Conference. With a loss, the season will come to an end.

Last Time Out
The Pirates earned a dominant win over Charlotte on Saturday, 21-10. Jaime Behar made nine saves in a strong defensive effort for the Pirates which saw Ava De Villava record a career high four caused turnovers and defender Skyler Blanton register her first career assist. On the offensive side, the team made history. It was the most points (35), goals (21) and assists (14) in a game in program history. Sarah Goodison led the offense with eight points on five goals and three assists while Rachel Chessock and Katelyn Sclafani recorded hattricks.

Scouting James Madison
At No. 25 in the country and second in the American Conference, the Dukes enter the game carrying an 11-6 record with a 5-1 mark in league play. The team is led offensively by Payton Root's 75 points on 28 goals and an impressive 47 assists, good for 11th in the NCAA. Jordan Peterson's 39 goals pace four players with over 25. Defensively, Olivia Rongo has a stunning 52 caused turnovers and 50 ground balls. She is sixth in the nation in caused turnovers. In cage, Abigail Beattie has gotten every start, making 93 saves to 146 goals allowed. As a team, JMU rates at or near the top of the NCAA in most statistical categories, including ranking fourth in ground balls and sixth in caused turnovers, while ranking in the top 50 in nearly every other statistic.

Series History
The Pirates and Dukes have met four times since 2023, all JMU wins. Earlier this season, it was a 16-10 contest in Harrisonburg in which Olivia Matthews led all scorers with five goals and two assists. Four ECU players scored a pair of goals with Jamie Collender recording a team-high four points, adding a pair of assists as well. The game could have been more within reach but for a 5-1 first quarter, setting ECU behind with a margin they could not erase. Jaime Behar and Maeve Meehan but saw time between the pipes for the Pirates, combining for six saves made.

Awards Awards Awards
Announced by the conference on Wednesday, four Pirates earned All Conference recognition. Emma Magazu was a unanimous First Team selection where she was joined by Sarah Goodison and Kayla Wilkes. It is the second First Team nod for both Magazu and Wilkes and Goodison's first ever All-Conference accolades. Jaime Behar also earned All-Conference honors with her Second-Team choice.

Team Success

The Pirates finished 6-1 at home this season, a program record.
3-3 in American Conference play marks back-to-back seasons .500-or-better in league play and three in the last four years.
Eight wins are the third most in program history.
103 assists this season is a program record.
147 caused turnovers this season is a program record.

In The Community
The program has made it a focus to strive not only for success on the field and in the classroom, but as representatives in the community. As a team, the Pirates logged 595.5 hours of community service in the fall.

Aspire
Assistant coach Kaelin Hogan graduated from the IWLCA's Aspire Program this spring. According to the organization, "The IWLCA Aspire program was designed to enhance coaches' professional skills, capabilities, and self-awareness through the dynamic blended learning approach."

At the Helm
The Pirates are entering year three under the leadership of head coach Brittany Dipper. Dipper has compiled an 19-30 record with a marked jump from her first to second seasons building anticipation for a successful 2026 campaign.