BOX SCORE

Dolphins Win Convincingly, Defeat Kennesaw State 17-6

via JU press release/website, by Niela Jordan

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville women’s lacrosse team (4-8, 2-0) convincingly defeated Kennesaw State (5-7, 0-2), 17-6 at The Rock on Thursday evening. Within the first quarter, the outcome was ultimately decided as JU held a 6-0 lead over the fighting Owls, a lead that proved too much for the visiting team to handle. Among the triumph, sophomore Abby Moran broke her own program record of 16 draw controls, setting a new JU record with 17. 

SCORING LEADERS   

GOALS: Allyx Berry (3) Maeve Brennan (2) Ainsley Scruggs (2) Mackenzie Boyle (2) Jenna Peed (2) 

GROUND BALLS: Lauren Ellis (3) Allyx Berry (2) Maggie Foster (3) Maggie Cuddy (2) 

DRAW CONTROLS: Abby Moran (17)  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED  

A consistently strong performance both offensively and defensively by the Dolphins in the initial quarter established the tempo for the match. Early in the first quarter, Jenna Peed scored a goal that initiated a flurry of scores for the Dolphins, a streak that persisted until midway through the second quarter. Following Peed’s goal, Lauren Ellis, Allyx Berry, Brianna Samuels, Ainsley Scruggs, and a free position goal by Maddie Orefice in the 15th minute propelled JU to a rapid 6-0 lead. 

In the second quarter, the Owls managed to mount a minor comeback, scoring their first goal with 10:52 remaining in the quarter. However, back-and-forth scoring ensued, with the score reaching 7-2 with 5:18 left in the half. Shortly after this disruption in the Dolphin offense, JU resumed its dominance, embarking on a 3-0 run to extend the lead to 10-3. During this run, Berry and Scruggs each notched their second goals of the day. The remaining 11 minutes of the third quarter witnessed JU extending their lead with another significant run, outscoring the Owls 5-0 to make it 15-3. Mackenzie Boyle, Julia Nicholson, Berry, and a buzzer-beating goal by Maeve Brennan fueled the Dolphin offense before the start of the fourth quarter. 

Peed opened the fourth quarter with the same momentum as the preceding three quarters, scoring less than a minute into the final 15 minutes of play. Kennesaw State managed to add three more goals, narrowing the score to 16-6 with 00:28 remaining. However, the Dolphins showed no mercy to the visiting team, adding one final score by Samantha Ednie to seal the victory and maintain a perfect conference record. 

COACHES COMMENTS

“Loved the heart and hustle we saw from our team today,” said Head Coach Tara Singleton. “Abby once again dominated the draw, and the team battled to win the ground ball stat line. I’m happy to see the growth we have made all season to show up for conference play.”

UP NEXT 

The Dolphins will remain at home to face Lindenwood this Saturday, April 6 at 12 p.m. They will commemorate and recognize their graduating seniors after the game. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.  

ADDITIONAL NOTES  

• The Dolphins outshot Kennesaw State 41-16 
• JU won the groundball battle 19-14 
• The green and white won draw controls 20-4 
• 11 players contributed to the scoring in the game for JU.