JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Down a goal for almost 65 full minutes of play, Jacksonville had to make a play to pull even with rival UNF.
By game's end JU did just that, defeating North Florida 2-1 in the first edition of the River City Rumble at Hodges Stadium. The win improved Jacksonville's record to 6-3-1, 3-0 in conference.
The Ospreys pulled ahead in the 17
th minute and held that lead until
Ana Alvarez Garcia trotted to play in a corner kick in the 81
st minute.
The Spain-native swept in her corner over the shoulder of the Osprey keeper and found the net, lighting an explosion on the visiting team bench and tying the ball game.
About five minutes later, the Dolphins found paydirt once more with yet another play by Alvarez Garcia. The transfer from Jacksonville State lined up a free kick that blasted through the Osprey defensive line. UNF's goalie attempted to stop the ball, but rainy conditions from the entire night slipped it through her grasp.
Flying through the air came
Layla Garcia-Moreno, coming off a brace against South Carolina State the game prior. Garcia-Moreno's body hurdling over the goalie gave the ball enough juice to find the net and gave the 'Phins a lead with just five minutes to play.
That lead stayed true until the final buzzer which gave Jacksonville its first win over UNF under head coach
Ryan Moon in his two-year tenure, and kept JU undefeated in conference play.
Jacksonville's offense, which has been one of the most prolific in the NCAA this year, was at it again on Sunday night with a 17-shot performance. The Dolphins outshot UNF by seven, led by three each from Alvarez Garcia and
Alicia Rey Perez. Alvarez Garcia led the game with three shots on goal.
Manuela Restrepo,
Julia Delprat,
Madelyn Radtke and
Olivia Peal all took two shots at net.
In net,
Pia Bozic went the distance, facing 10 shots. Bozic made one save.
The Dolphins are back on the road this week with two more in-state matchups. First, JU travels down to Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday, Oct. 2 with first kick set for 6 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 5, the 'Phins square off at Stetson at 1 p.m.
COACH'S COMMENTS
"Delighted with how we performed today," Moon said. "We weren't quite ourselves in the first half but still had some positives. Second half, we got back to doing the things we are good at and the team really stepped up in fixing some of the things we wanted to do better. That's not the first time we've had to come back from behind this season and may not be the last, but we know we have the resilience to do it when needed. We'll enjoy it tonight and then fix our minds on Thursday when we wake up tomorrow."
RELIVE THE MOMENTS
