NEWARK, N.J. --- For the first time in program history, the Jacksonville Dolphins made the trip to Newark, N.J. to face the Highlanders of NJIT. In a rugged, defensive battle, JU (4-4) came away with the 11-5 victory.

The Dolphins were led by freshman Zane Czeschin and junior William Krupsky who scored three goals and provided one assist each. Jacksonville set a team season-high with 20 caused turnovers, with senior Aaron Toguri tying a career high with five takeaways.

The game was won by defense, as neither team scored more than three goals in a quarter. The Dolphins held the Highlanders to a season-low six goals, their fourth time holding an opponent under 10 goals this season.

NJIT was up for the defensive battle, though, holding Jacksonville to a season-low nine goals. The Highlanders actually struck first, leading less than 90 seconds into the game, but the Dolphins would control the pace of the first half.

Krupsky got his first of the day, cooling dunking home a feed on the crease from sophomore Daylin John-Hill. Czeschin got his opening goal later in the first, as senior Jack Taylor ripped a skip pass through the heart of the defense to the freshman attacker on the backside pipe.

With a 2-1 lead in hand heading into the second quarter, Jacksonville took command of the game heading into halftime.

The Dolphins conceded zero goals and just six shots in the second quarter. Jacksonville scored three of its own in the second quarter. Krupsky scored the first in style, taking a pass from Czeschin and casually flicking it behind his back and past the goalie.

Senior Tate Jones set up a dodge behind the goal, leaving his defender in the dust and scoring all alone on the doorstep. Taylor could've taken one for himself, beating his man and getting to the crease, but he flipped it over to John-Hill who dunked it into an empty net to give JU a 5-1 lead at the half.

The Highlanders scored the first two goals of the second half, cutting the lead to two and turning the heat back on the Dolphins. Jacksonville got its offense back on the man-up, executing a nearly identical action to Czeschin's first goal for another dunk on the backside pipe.

Krupsky completed his hat-trick with a strong solo effort, baiting his defenders by the wing before exploding the middle of the field and ripping a shot on the run past the goalie. The Dolphins took a 7-3 lead into the final period of play.

The momentum kept rolling into the fourth. Czeschin showed off incredible range, ripping a powerful bounce shot from just inside the restraining line for another JU goal. Fellow freshman Parker Addison got another for the Dolphins, beating a short-stick and firing a shot down the alley for JU's final goal of the day.

The Highlanders would add a few late scores to tighten the final score, but Jacksonville closed out the game for the three-goal win.

Game Notes

• Czeschin has scored in every game this season. This was the second hat-trick of his career. 
• Krupsky's four points set a new career high, passing his three-point day against St. John's in 2024.
• Taylor finished the day with three assists, his third-straight game with at least three helpers.
• Eleven different players were credited with a caused turnover. Toguri led the way with his five, while Taylor and sophomore Lucas Fraser added three each.

Head Coach John Galloway
"We didn't come prepared to meet the energy of NJIT today, and our leadership council will make sure review all details of our operation. I was proud of our defense for holding the fort down on an off day for us. Moving forward, our urgency and fundamentals must be at a championship level and I know our guys will be committed to that challenge."

Up Next
After three games in the last seven days, the Dolphins will get a needed bye week before the start of ASUN Conference play. Jacksonville will travel to face the Air Force Falcons Saturday, March 28 at 2 PM.