Flagler Palm Coast alum Katie Kornacki 1G for Stetson

via the school’s press releases/websites

BOX SCORE

Dolphins Pull Off Comeback Bid Over Stetson

by Nieja Jordan

DELAND, Fla. – The Jacksonville women’s lacrosse team (3-6, 1-0) pulled off a remarkable comeback in their inaugural conference match of the 2024 season. Despite trailing by as many as six goals, the team leveled the score at 11-11 with just seven minutes remaining in the game. Shortly thereafter, they surged ahead to secure a 13-11 victory over Stetson University (3-5, 0-1). 

SCORING LEADERS  

GOALS: Ainsley Scruggs (4) Lauren Ellis (2)  

GROUND BALLS: Maggie Foster (2) 

DRAW CONTROLS: Abby Moran (5) Kaila Stasulli (4) Maggie Cuddy (5) 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

The first half witnessed balanced scoring from the Dolphin offense, with four players making their mark on the scoreboard. A surprising 5-1 lead for Stetson in the opening quarter initially caught the Dolphins off guard, with senior attacker Brianna Samuels finding the net in the sixth minute of the quarter to open up the scoring for JU. After Stetson’s initial scoring burst, they continued to dominate the first 15 minutes, ending with a 4-0 run. 

In the second quarter, the Dolphins came out firing, opening the quarter with a shot and score by Jenna Peed at 9:55, followed by another goal minutes later by Maddie Herman, narrowing Stetson’s lead to 6-3 with 6:24 remaining before halftime. With ample time on the clock, the Dolphins weren’t done yet as the defense stood firm, holding the Hatters scoreless for the rest of the period. The offense generated momentum with a pivotal goal by Ainsley Scruggs, assisted by Lauren Ellis, heading into halftime. 

Stetson dominated the early portion of the third quarter, but the Dolphins kept things competitive by responding to Stetson’s early score with a goal by Maddy Orefice, trimming Stetson’s lead to 7-5. Although the Hatters extended their lead to as much as six points in the third quarter, the Dolphins managed to claw their way back, closing the gap to 11-7 thanks to contributions from Lauren Ellis and Mackenzie Boyle, who finished the quarter with consecutive scores. 

The fourth quarter was dominated by the Dolphins as Ellis secured her second goal, while Blakesley added another to the tally. It was the heroic efforts of Ainsley Scruggs that sealed the victory for the Dolphins with an impressive four goals in nine minutes to close out the game.

COACH’S COMMENTS
“Halfway through the 3rd quarter, Ellis sparked our offense and we never looked back,” said head coach Tara Singleton. “Critical stops on defense and dominance in the draw battle gave our offense the possessions needed to make the comeback. Scruggs’ shots started falling at just the right time, and she led the charge in the last 9 minutes. We really leaned in as a team and found a way to win today!”

UP NEXT 

The Dolphins continue their road trip with a matchup against Towson on Thursday, March 28. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN+. 

ADDITIONAL NOTES 

• The Dolphins and Hatters tied with 14 ground balls each.
• JU registered four more shots on goal than Stetson. 
• Nine players contributed to the scoring in the game for JU. 

*****

Hatters Fall to Dolphins in ASUN Opener

DeLand, Fla. –  The Stetson Lacrosse team opened ASUN play on Saturday afternoon, welcoming the Jacksonville Dolphins to the Athletic Training Center. The Hatters built a lead over the first three quarters of the game, before ultimately falling to the Dolphins 13-11. 

Sam King got the scoring started on the day, turning a pass from Kaitlin Pani into a 1-0 Hatter (3-5, 0-1 ASUN) lead just a minute into the game, but the Dolphins got an answer exactly four minutes later to even things at 1-1. The rest of the first was all Stetson though, with King (on an assist from Anya Phillips), Katie Kornacki (Lexi Bird), Pani (Sara Freeman), and Jordyn Humphrey (unassisted) striking to build the Stetson lead to 5-1 after 15:00 minutes of play. 

After the teams traded dangerous chances in the first five minutes of the second, Jacksonville(3-6, 1-0 ASUN) would break through first, cutting the Hatter lead to 5-2. Humphrey would feed Pani for her second goal of the day to push it back to a four goal lead at 6-2 in the 8th minute, but the Dolphins struck twice more to send the game to the break with Stetson leading 6-4. 

Stetson stormed out of the gate in the second half, with Pani scoring her third goal of the game just one minute in, but Jacksonville got the goal back just 44 seconds later. As with the first period, the answer lit a fire under the Hatter attack, with Stetson scoring four times over the next three and a half minutes. Georgia Goering (Pani) got the run started in the fifth minute of the period, with Humphrey adding her second goal of the day a minute later. Humphrey assisted Pani’s fourth goal 45 seconds after that, before King got an assist from Goering to cap the run with Stetson leading 11-5.

After the Dolphins got one back with five minutes left in the third, they added another with just one second remaining in the period to cut the Hatter lead to 11-7. That goal would shift the momentum, as JU scored eight seconds into the fourth  before reeling off five more goals to take a 13-11 lead. The Hatters looked to rally, but an intercepted pass ended the rally attempt with just over a minute to play. 

On the day, Stetson was able to put 24 of 32 shots on goal, collecting 11 goals and eight assists. Pani led the way with four goals and two assists, while Humphrey added two and two and King turned in a hat trick. 

The Hatters continue their eight-game homestand with a pair of games this week. Stetson will host Brown at 6:00 PM on Monday evening before welcoming Liberty at noon on Friday.