NORFOLK, Virginia – Brianna Mennella scored four goals with an assist – all in the first half – as top-seeded James Madison took a 16-6 win against Vanderbilt Thursday in the semifinal round of the American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
 
James Madison (13-4) advances to the championship final of the American Championship for the third consecutive year since the Dukes joined the conference in 2023. JMU will face the winner of Thursday’s second semifinal between East Carolina and South Florida Saturday at noon ET.
 
Mennella figured in five of James Madison’s nine first-half goals, including the feed on Chloe Bleckley’s goal with six-tenths of a second left in the second quarter, which gave the Dukes a 9-4 lead into the break.
 
Mennella had a hat trick as part of JMU’s 4-0 run to start the game as she scored three straight goals in the first quarter to give the Dukes a lead they would not relinquish. 
 
Vanderbilt (9-9) was able to counter with a three-goal first-half run as Nancy Halleron and Maddie Barkate struck to close the first period and Brooke Baker opened the second quarter with an early goal to make it 4-3.
 
But James Madison answered with a 4-0 run of its own, sparked by two goals and an assist from Maddie Epke in the span of 2:08, giving the Dukes an 8-3 lead.
 
James Madison, which had outscored its opponents by a 114-66 margin after halftime entering the game, scored the first six goals of the second half as part of a 7-0 run that gave the Dukes a 15-4 lead early in the fourth quarter.
 
Mennella was one of four James Madison players with hat tricks as she led all scorers with four goals. Maddie Epke, The American’s Attack Player of the Year, had three goals and two assists and set a single-game tournament record with 13 draw controls. She broke the old mark of 10 draw controls set by Temple’s Bridget Whitaker against Vanderbilt in the 2021 semifinals.
 
Savannah Derey had three goals on three shots with an assist for the Dukes, while Olivia Matthews had three goals as well. Adanya Moyer, The American’s Goalkeeper of the Year, made seven saves and allowed five goals in 53 minutes to get the win.
 
Vanderbilt was led by Baker, who scored two goals, but was the only Commodore player to find the cage more than once. Maddie Joyce made nine saves.