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.