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Dolphins Survive Gator Attack as JU Women Take Down #5 Florida 12-11!

  Author’s Note:  I believe this is the first time JU has defeated UF   via press releases from both schools  

WOMEN’S LACROSSE PICKS UP HISTORIC WIN OVER 5TH-RANKED FLORIDA

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville University women’s lacrosse team opened up their 2021 home campaign in style Saturday at D.B. Milne Field, welcoming the #5/6 University of Florida to town for the tenth matchup all-time between the two schools. In a hard-fought 60 minutes of action, the Dolphins (3-0) withstood a late comeback effort by the Gators (3-2), recording the program’s first ever win over a top-five ranked opponent by a final score of 12-11. “It was great to see our game plan executed at the highest level today and have such dominant draw possessions that allowed us to win the possession battle today,” said head coach Mindy McCord. “We did a great job a great job getting extra possessions and did a good job putting together goals in the first half and making key saves add getting good looks on goal all day long.” “We stayed poised when Florida was getting runs on free position shots, but we were able to make good in-game adjustments to swing things back in our favor. We also scored enough in the second half that we were able to withstand their late run to hang on and win. They had a good game plan and they put some pressure on us late, but we were able to stay disciplined and withstand their late-game push. Molly (Brock) did a fantastic job in helping us win the draw control battle today and just being able to control time of possession was a big factor for us today.” The #5/6 Gators got on the board first in the opening moments of the game, netting a pair of goals within 36 seconds of each other less than three minutes of action. Florida added another goal in a man-up situation with 25:41 left in the first half to establish a 3-0 lead. Jacksonville answered less than 60 seconds later as Sarah Elms navigated her way through the UF defense to score her eighth of the season. Alyssa Arnold scored the second Dolphin goal of the game moments later to get within a goal at 3-2. Florida scored their fourth goal of the half following a free position attempt to once more make it a two-goal game, but Jacksonville maintained their intensity on offense. Mackenzie Boyle found the net for her first goal of the year with 17:18 remaining to get back within one at 4-3. The Dolphins continued their unrelenting offensive attack and after three near-goals, Arnold netted the equalizer on a pass from Boyle at 14:32 remaining for her second goal of the day and eighth of the season. Elms put the Dolphins in front about three minutes later, scoring her second goal of the game after Addy Tysdal picked up a save on the other end. Jenny Kinsey put the Dolphins ahead 6-4 at 8:01, once again following a save from Tysdal. Florida responded to tie things at 6-6, scoring back-to-back goals less than a minute apart with a little over five minutes remaining before halftime. Jacksonville retook the lead with two minutes to go in the opening period, when Molly Brock weaved her way through the defensive and found the net for her second goal of the season to make it 7-6. The second half started out with a little slower pace than the first half, with the two sides managing just four combined shots in the first six minutes of play. Things quickened when Kinsey scored her second goal of the game at 23:10 to once more make it a two-goal affair in favor of the Dolphins. Just 64 seconds elapsed off the clock before JU scored again, this time from Elms as she recorded a hat trick for the third-straight contest to make it 9-6. Florida would not go quietly however, scoring at with 18:12 remaining to get back within two. That score wouldn’t hold long as Brock once more beat the Gator’s defense to score with 16:38 remaining and make it 10-7 JU. Two more Jacksonville goals came in the minutes that followed, first from Arnold on a pass from Elms, and the second in a mad scramble where Jacksonville caught UF’s keeper out of position and forced a turnover, allowing Grace Hobson to score on a pass from Boyle to make it 12-7 with just under 15 minutes remaining. The Gators picked up their defensive intensity after the Hobson goal, holding JU scoreless for the remaining balance of the game and allowing just three shots from the Dolphins. Florida’s offense came storming back with a rally on their mind, scoring four goals over the final 11:25, with the last coming with just 22 seconds remaining to get back within one at 12-11. On the ensuing draw control, Brock came up with control for her 13th of the game as Jacksonville was able to run out the clock to seal the win. Elms and Arnold each recorded a hat trick in the contest, while Brock and Kinsey turned in two-goal performances of their own, with the former also picking up five ground balls and tying the program’s single-game record for draw controls in a game with 13. Boyle finished the day with a pair of assists while Kinsey and Elms had one each. Tysdal (2-0) picked up with win in goal, picking up four saves in the first half before turning things over to Dayna Martinetto in the second half, as she recorded three saves against the Gators. The JU defense forced 12 UF turnovers in the game along and as a team picked up 35 ground balls. Jacksonville outshot Florida 31-21, including a 20-18 edge in shots on goal and winning 19 draw controls. Up next, JU heads back on the road to take on Virginia Tech on March 20, with start time set for 12 PM.   **********  

Gators Fall to Dolphins on the Road

Paisley Eagan and Shannon Kavanagh led the way offensively for Florida JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The fifth-ranked Florida lacrosse team fell to the Jacksonville Dolphins 12-11 on Saturday afternoon at DB Milne Field. The Gators drop to 3-2 on the year, while Jacksonville moves to 3-0 in 2021. Paisley Eagan and Shannon Kavanagh led the Gators on the offensive front, recording three goals apiece on the afternoon. The game was Eagan’s second hat trick of the year, while Kavanagh’s tallied her fourth of the season. Brianna Harris added two goals, while Kassidy BresnahanAshley Gonzalez and Grace Haus each found the back of the net once for Florida. Eagan led the way in the draw circle with three draw controls, followed by two from Harris. Emma Wightman notched a team-best two caused turnovers on the day, while Haus, Kavanagh and Gonzalez each registered one in the game. Wightman also posted a career-high six groundballs on the afternoon, followed by three from Haus. Four Gators each registered two apiece. Sarah Reznick finished the day in the cage with eight saves, playing all 60:00 minutes between the pipes. The Gators kick off American Athletic Conference play with a two-game series against Temple on March 19/21 in Philadelphia, Pa. Opening draw for Friday’s matchup is set for 3 p.m., while Sunday’s game will begin at 12 p.m. Records No. 5 Florida (3-2) Jacksonville (3-0) How It Happened
  • The Gators hopped out the 3-0 lead less than five minutes into the game, thanks to two goals from Paisley Eagan and one from Grace HausAll three of the first Florida goals came by way of free-position attempts.
  • Jacksonville answered with its first goal of the day at the 24:48 mark and ended up cutting Florida’s lead to just one with 23:09 left in the half after Alyssa Arnold netted her first of the day.
  • Florida created some distance after the back-to-back JU goals, beginning with a converted free position attempt by Shannon Kavanagh putting Florida up 4-2, but the Dolphins responded to pull back to within one with 17 minutes remaining in the first half.
  • Jacksonville tied the game 4-4 with 14:32 left in the first half and took its first lead at 5-4 with just under 12 minutes left in the frame. The Dolphins netted their sixth goal of the game to take the two-goal lead with just over eight minutes to play in the first half.
  • Florida tied the game at 6-6 after back-to-back goals from Brianna Harris and Kavanagh with just under 5:30 left to play, but Jacksonville took the 7-6 lead into the locker room.
  • Coming out of halftime, Jacksonville struck first, taking the 9-6 lead with 22:06 left in the game.
  • Ashley Gonzalez netted her first goal of the day on a pass from Kavanagh with 18 minutes remaining to cut Jacksonville’s lead to just two at 9-7.
  • The Dolphins continued to build on their lead, pulling ahead five goals with just under 14 minutes to play.
  • Eagan cut Jacksonville’s lead to four with her third goal of the day and Kassidy Bresnahan found the back of the net with 10:16 left in the game to pull Florida within three goals.
  • Harris netted her second goal of the game with just over five minutes left to pull within two at 12-10, forcing a Jacksonville timeout.
  • Kavanagh tallied her third goal of the day to pull the Gators to within one, but the Dolphins were able to hold on to clinch the 12-11 victory.
  Notables
  • Emma Wightman recorded a career-high six groundballs in the game
  • Paisley Eagan knotted her second career hat trick, finishing the game with three goals
  • Shannon Kavanagh recorded her fourth hat trick of the season on Saturday
  • Grace Haus inched closer to becoming the 13th Gator to record 100 career goals, after scoring one today. She currently sits at 99
  • The Gators move to 9-1 in the all-time series against the Dolphins
  • Florida drops to 5-1 against JU in Jacksonville, Fla.
  • Streaking: Shannon Kavanagh’s 32 consecutive games with a goal is tied for the second-longest streak in program history (Record – 40 games, Shayna Pirreca)
  Insight from O’Leary 
  • “Credit Jacksonville they came out and competed the whole game. They won the 50/50 balls and dominated the draw. We will go back, regroup and prepare for a very tough conference opponent in Temple.”
  Up Next
  • The Gators kick off American Athletic Conference play with a two-game series against Temple on March 19/21 in Philadelphia, Pa.
  • Friday’s game is slated to begin at 2 p.m., while Sunday’s opening draw is set for 12 p.m.
  • Those games are set to air on ESPN+
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