JMU roundup: Dukes upset No. 1 North Carolina

Daily Staff Reports - sports@nvdaily.com

James Madison redshirt senior Christian McLaughlin scored on a penalty kick in the final minutes of the first half to give the Dukes a 1-0 upset of top-ranked and defending NCAA men's soccer champion North Carolina on Tuesday evening at University Park.

UNC (4-0-0), which entered the game ranked No. 1 in the NSCAA coaches poll and No. 2 in the Soccer America poll, lost for the first time in five games. JMU evened its record at 2-2-1.

Before a University Park-record crowd of 1,531 the Dukes extended their home unbeaten streak to 14 games (12-0-2), tying the school record set during the 2003-04 seasons (13-0-1).

McLaughlin converted a penalty kick with 3:12 left in the opening half, sending the ball to the left side of the goal while senior goalkeeper Scott Goodwin dove to the right.

JMU outshot UNC 9-7, and redshirt junior goalkeeper Colin Newcity made three saves to get his second shutout of the year.

Baseball

JMU baseball head coach Spanky McFarland on Tuesday announced the 55-game schedule for the 2013 season, which will include 30 games at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.

A pair of four-game series will highlight a stretch of 18 out of the first 22 games at home for the Dukes. Following an opening weekend tournament at Coastal Carolina (opponents TBA), JMU will play 18 of 19 at home, including sets of four games against a pair of America East programs in Binghamton (Feb. 22-24) and Hartford (March 1-3).

The tail end of the home stretch will feature the beginning of Colonial Athletic Association play with a pair of home series against Hofstra on March 8-10 and UNCW on March 15-17. The 10-team CAA will consist of nine series for 27 games, almost half of JMU's overall schedule.