NEWTON, Mass. – In the opening game of the 2024 Jacksonville University's women's soccer season, the Dolphins fell to Boston College 1-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Thursday's tilt was the first regular season game for head coach Ryan Moon and his team. The Dolphins (0-1) made the over 1,000-mile trek to Boston College, facing off against a BC team also sporting a new coaching staff.
At the halftime break,
Logan Gonzales,
Bella Faherty and
Hannah Bielicke all logged shots but nothing found nylon. By the game's end, Gonzales led the team with two shots.
Manuela Restrepo and
Madelyn Radtke each added shots in the second.
Boston College got on the board in the 37
th minute off a counter attack after a Dolphin turnover. JU had pressure along the right side of the field before the Eagles scooped up the ball and sent it to a streaking Ella Richards who snuck in a ball behind keeper
Gretchen Duttenhofer.
Duttenhofer got the start on her birthday, and the junior keeper logged two saves on 13 shots faced. Transfer
Pia Bozic started the second half and made three saves and allowed no goals.
The JU defense was pestered for most of the contest but found its footing in the second half. After allowing 13 shots in the opening period, the Dolphins allowed just nine in the second half and allowed four corners to the first half's seven. The offense left each half with three shots.
JU's golden opportunity came in the 81
st minute, when
Laura Di Mascio was fouled inside the Boston College box. Gonzales got the nod to take the penalty and hit the right post with her shot. The ensuing rebound, which ended up in the net, was ruled offside due to the ball never touching the Boston College keeper's gloves and therefore resetting the offside flag.
COACH'S COMMENTS
"I was really happy with the account we gave of ourselves. We dealt with a lot of their play well defensively and protected our goal very well. Playing away at a team of Boston College's stature is never easy and we knew we'd have our work cut out against a well coached team. At this stage of the season we are really happy with the performance and feel there is a lot to build on based on today's effort. We will now rest, recover and recap over the next couple of days as we prepare for our next test on Sunday."
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- New Dolphins debut: eight players new to the roster appeared on Thursday.
- Restrepo led the team in minutes played with 79. Millie Tugby logged 78.
- 21 total Dolphins appeared in the game.
UP NEXT
The Dolphins return to the pitch on Sunday, traveling to Tampa to take on USF at 6 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and will also be available on USF Bulls Unlimited radio.
