JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville women's lacrosse team (6-8, 4-0) moved to first place in the ASUN standings after a well-earned victory over Coastal Carolina (10-5, 3-1), 9-7 at The Rock on Thursday evening. Though the game was neck and neck the Dolphins outscored CCU 4-0 in the final quarter to stay undefeated in conference play.
SCORING LEADERS
GOALS: Ainsley Scruggs (2) Mackenzie Boyle (2)
GROUND BALLS: Kaila Stasulli (3) Lauren Ellis (2) Hudson Gentile (2)
DRAW CONTROLS: Lauren Ellis (7) Kaila Stasulli (5)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stiff defense from both sides made the first quarter a challenging 15 minutes to find offensive opportunities. Though the defense on both sides was stellar, the Dolphins were able to break the deadlock courtesy of an assist from freshman Maddie Herman to attacker Ainsley Scruggs. More gameplay saw Coastal Carolina tie and take a 2-1 lead in the quarter by the first horn.
JU stylishly scored the opening goal of the second quarter followed by another to take a 3-2 lead with 10:15 to play before the halftime break. The Chanticleers countered and went on their own 2-0 run before halftime to claim a 4-3 lead.
A quick start to the second half as the Dolphins came out of the locker room hungry, scoring another opening quarter goal on a free position shot by Maggie Cuddy, her first of the season, to tie up the game 4-4 with 14:47 to play. Though Coastal took back a 5-4 lead minutes later, last week's ASUN Athlete of The Week, Brianna Samuels, found Mackenzie Boyle leading to a goal to knot the game at 5-5 with 6:06 remaining. Moments before the end of the third, CCU took a 6-5 advantage.
The six minutes before the first media timeout of the fourth were dominated by the Dolphins as they defensively staggered the Coastal Carolina offense and scored two consecutive goals. Mackenzie Boyle scored her second, Jenna Peed added to the tally moments later. After a few more JU shot attempts, Lauren Ellis found success to propel the Dolphins forward 8-6 with 9:32 to play. The 3-0 Dolphin run kept rolling as Ainsley Scruggs scored her second goal assisted by Hudson Gentile to give JU a 9-6 lead. Coastal Carolina made their final efforts, managing to find the back of the net once more to narrow the count to 9-7 with 1:40 to play. However, the Dolphins stood strong to hold on to first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
COACHES' COMMENTS
"That was a great win against a very talented Coastal team," said Head Coach Tara Singleton. "Every time they made a play, we had an answer. I am so proud of the progress this team has made, and I can't wait to see what's ahead."
UP NEXT
The Dolphins hit the road Saturday, April 20, to continue conference play against Queens. The game is set to face-off at 2 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Dolphins combined for six assists
JU outshoot CCU 30-to-24
Dolphins caused six turnovers
JU won the draw control battle 12-8
