JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville University women's soccer team opened year two under head coach Laura Busby with a midfield battle that showcased an impressive second-half goal from freshman Olivia Abdallah, but the Dolphins fell victim to Charleston Southern, 3-1, Thursday afternoon at Southern Oak Stadium.

"Obviously the kids have put in a lot of work in the preseason to get to a better place fitness-wise, but we still have some work to do in that area," noted Busby following the game. "There's no doubt that numbers-wise, we are a little bit lighter this year. It's going to be important to stay as healthy and as fit as possible so come ASUN time, we're ready to go."

Down 2-0 coming out of the break, Abdallah netted the Dolphins (0-1) lone goal of the game on a beautiful through-pass down the left side from sophomore Madison Taylor. Held onside by her defender, Abdallah raced forward and slipped the ball past the Buccaneers' keeper to get JU on the board in the 63rd minute.

Charleston Southern (1-0) notched a pair of goals in the first half – the first in the 27th minute off the foot of Kat Klingensmith and the second on an embattled play in the box that ended with the Buccaneers' Kylie Doster being awarded a penalty kick with 1:59 left in the first half.

The momentum swung back in favor of CSU with 11:50 left in the game as CSU's Erin Rush found the head of Elise Borys to make it a two-goal lead. Though redshirt-senior Kayla Hancock was able to get a shot off with three seconds remaining, the Dolphins were unable to initiate a late rally.

A bright spot between the pipes, sophomore goalie Michelle Jerantowski came up big with a pair of saves – notably in the 70th minute after a CSU shot hit the crossbar and the Dolphins' defense was forced into a scrum in front of the net. Jerantowski stopped a point-blank rebound before JU was awarded a goal kick on a third CSU shot that sailed wide.

"Michelle's done well; we've split time with our keepers in both scrimmages and again here today. Michelle definitely stepped up in terms of her presence and composure. She's only a sophomore, but I thought she did well today," Busby added. "We have some work to do, so we'll take a look at the video and break some things down and continue to learn. Having our kids report and have 10 days before their first game is a lot of cram in, but we'll just continue to learn."

The Dolphins welcome South Carolina to Southern Oak Stadium next Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.