The Huskies fell victim to a dramatic defeat Sunday afternoon as they fell to the James Madison University Dukes by a score of 4-3.

The Dukes (4-8-1, 1-1-1 CAA) came into Sunday’s game looking for redemption after being defeated by the University of Delaware 1-0 a week beforehand. And redemption they got, as they pummeled the Huskies (4-8-1, 1-2-1 CAA) in the second half to secure a comeback victory.

The Huskies took an early lead in the first half when senior midfielder Kerri Zerfoss received a pass from junior forward Chelsea Domond, who stole the ball from JMU defenders trying to move the ball out of their zone. Zerfoss pivoted and struck the ball towards the right side of the goal, past the sliding effort of JMU senior goalkeeper Hannah McShea to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.

The Dukes responded in the 29th minute off a corner that allowed junior forward Ginger Deel to put the ball past NU redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Megan Adams.

From there, things remained quiet until the end of the first half. Adams picked up her first save of the game in the 38th minute (she totalled three on the night), giving the Huskies an opportunity to push toward the JMU goal in the final minutes of the half.

Senior forward Olivia Ware received a pass on the right side of the field and sped past her defender before powering a shot above McShea into the top left corner of the net, giving the Huskies a 2-1 lead that they took into halftime.

The Huskies second half started off terribly, as star player Domond was given a red card just before the 51st minute. NU was forced to play the rest of the match with just 10 players.

Still, the Huskies did not lose any momentum, rebounding quickly with a goal to pad their existing lead. Ware received a pass on the left side of the field and put the ball past the sliding effort of McShea towards the JMU goal. JMU sophomore defender Sarah Gordon sprinted to try and stop the ball from rolling into the goal and slid into it right in front of the goalline. Her efforts proved useless, however, as she directed the ball into the goal instead of out, giving the Huskies a 3-1 lead.

Now begins the Husky meltdown.

Ten minutes after their miscue, JMU sophomore midfielder Iris Rabot scored off an assist from junior midfielder Ebony Wiseman, bringing the score to 3-2.

Five minutes later, in the 61st minute, the Dukes benefited off a corner kick to sophomore defender Ashby Larkin, who pushed the ball into the goal to tie the game at 3-3.

Ten minutes before the end of regulation, the Dukes pushed into the Husky box again and got the ball to sophomore midfielder Annie Sorando, whose shot escaped Adams to give JMU their first lead of the game at 4-3, a lead they held for the rest of the game.

The Huskies will look to recover Thursday against Delaware (8-5, 3-1 CAA).