Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Air Force scored five second period goals and held off a determined Jacksonville University effort to beat the Dolphins 11-6 in the Southern Conference regular season finale at D.B. Milne Field here Saturday.
The 12th-ranked Falcons (13-2, 7-0) looked as though they were going to fly away early on JU's Senior Day as they scored on the opening faceoff but JU's Mitchell Parker and Fernando Milanes responded with goals for a 2-1 lead.
"You're not happy (when getting scored upon that early); it's as bad a start as you can have and you worry about what it does to your kids mentally, but, shoot, we fought back hard,'' JU head coach Guy Van Arsdale said. "I'm proud of these kids, they are character kids and tough kids and they work hard.''
JU's Evan Tyler put the Dolphins up 3-1 with 44 seconds to play in the first period but Air Force then reeled off five consecutive goals be Dolphin Shawn Ewert scored. The Dolphins (3-10, 1-6) trailed 7-4 at the break.
The Falcons, who have won 13 straight games, then built the lead to 11-4 before Milanes scored again and freshman Cody Ford followed with JU's last goal of the season with 28 seconds to play.
"I'm proud of the effort and proud of the defense,'' Van Arsdale, whose seniors, Scott Cannon, Chase Miller, Austin Collins, Pat Ryan, Ray Bannister, Derek Andrake and Michael Diggle participated in graduation ceremonies earlier in the day, said. "We need to find ways to grow as a team and I think we're heading in that direction. The effort piece is there, we have to make sure to get the right pieces on the field and working together.''
