The Shadow
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Two second half scores by Manuel Lolas (53rd minute) and Håkon Rake (63rd minute) propelled James Madison (1-1-0) to a 2-0 victory over Gardner-Webb (0-1-0) on Monday evening at Sentara Park.
Following a competitive and gritty first half between both sides, the Dukes forced the issue offensively in the second half, recording 12 shots, finishing the game with 17. Leading the charge was Lolas, who totaled five shots, two of which were on goal and the game-winning score. High Point transfer Chris Niblock found himself in the middle of everything, posting four shots and assisting on both Dukes’ goals.
Quote from Head Coach Paul Zazenski
“It was great to get a result tonight at home. The guys played well to start the second half especially and kept the shutout despite being down a man. Was good to find a way to win and we look to build off this for the next time out!”
How It Happened
- In the 25th minute, JMU got the offense rolling with Daniel Bunk and Niblock putting up shots along the outside edge of the box, marking the Dukes first of several strong spurts of offense throughout the game.
- Jaspers was called into action as the first half continued, making his first of six saves in the 30th minute to keep the score tied.
- The fate of the contest was changed when Niblock’s crossing pass clipped the back heel of Brock Fraiser, allowing Lolas to take advantage of the chaos and boot the ball into the top bin of the net.
- Just a few minutes later, Niblock put a pass right on target for Rake to sneak the ball past Garder-Webb’s goalkeeper courtesy of an electric header that doubled the Dukes’ advantage.
- Things didn’t come easy the rest of the way for James Madison when the Dukes were handed a red card in the 66th minute, putting JMU down to 10 men for the remainder of the contest.
- Erik Jaspers stood tall in goal for the Dukes, making four of his six saves in the final 20-plus minutes of action with JMU down a man.
Game Notes
- James Madison earned their third all-time victory over the Runnin’ Bulldogs and first since a 2-1 result on Oct. 8, 2022 in Harrisonburg.
- Niblock became the first Duke to notch a mutli-assist game since Lolas’ two dimes in a 2-0 win over Iona on Sep. 23, 2025.
- Jaspers recorded his third career clean sheet, last doing so on Sep. 23, 2025.
Up Next
James Madison will travel southwest on I-81 to take on in-state foe Radford this Saturday at 7 p.m.
