DELAND, Fla. --- It may have been the final game of the regular season, but it was business as usual for the Jacksonville Dolphins under the lights at Stetson. The Dolphins (11-5, 7-1 ASUN) cruised past the Stetson Hatters 20-6 Wednesday night to close the regular season.

Jacksonville was led by a balanced offense featuring 13 different goal scorers. Junior Maeve Brennan concluded the best offensive season in the ASUN with another five-point game, scoring one goal and dishing out four assists. 

The Dolphins blitzed the Hatters out of the gates. Jacksonville was the only team on the scoresheet in the first quarter, outsourcing the hosts 6-0 in the opening frame. 

Junior Julia Nicholson scored two goals in the first three minutes of the game, setting the tone for a dominant night for JU.

Senior Olivia Johnson raced to the goal to score a free-position opportunity, then Brennan found senior Ainsley Scruggs for back-to-back finishes. Sophomore Shae Hagans ended the quarter with her 35th goal of the season, passing her goal tally from a season ago.

The second quarter was even more explosive for the Dolphins. Junior Allyx Berry started with a goal 28 seconds into the period. With senior Abby Moran dominating the draw circle, Jacksonville added three more goals before Stetson even had possession. 

After goals from Brennan and Scruggs, freshman Paige Garguilo got red hot. She scored the second hat-trick of her career in just the second quarter, putting JU up 12-1 with her third goal of the day.

Junior Gabby Hendricks scored the first of her two goals to close the half with the Dolphins leading by a dozen.

The Hatters went on a mini-run in the third quarter, scoring four of their six goals in the third. But Jacksonville still found the score sheet. Senior Maddi Santini notched her fourth goal of the season, then Berry capitalized on the extra-player opportunity off another Brennan feed.

Jacksonville was strong as ever in the fourth quarter. Junior Maddie Herman went straight to goal for a solo finish, then junior Ruby Lynch scored to restore JU's 12-goal advantage.

With everybody getting in on the scoring, the Dolphins had two first-time goal scorers in the final period. Sophomore Fiona MacLean --- after recording her first ever assist last time out --- put her first goal in the back of the net off an assist from Nicholson.

Freshman Ella Bea Croteau became the third JU freshman to score a goal this season. Hendricks put the finishing touch on a strong regular season, getting Jacksonville to 20 goals for the second time this season.

Game Notes

• With 16 draw controls, Moran broke her own single-season record for draw controls with 175.
• The Dolphins have three players with 30 goals (Brennan, Hagans and Scruggs) for the first time since 2023.
• Jacksonville scored on more than half (51.2%) of its shots as a team.
• The Dolphins are 15-0 all-time against Stetson.

Head Coach Tara Singleton
"What a great way to cap off the regular season! Now it's back to work for the postseason next week."

Up Next
Jacksonville is locked into the No. 2 seed in the ASUN Women's Lacrosse Championship. The Dolphins will face the winner of three-seed Liberty and six-seed Kennesaw State Thursday night at 6 PM at Rock Stadium in Jacksonville.