JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- The Jacksonville Dolphins are going back to the Atlantic Sun Championship. JU defeated the third-seeded Liberty Flames 17-3 Thursday night. Jacksonville will play the top-seeded Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens for the ASUN crown Saturday.
The Dolphins were led by senior attacker
Ainsley Scruggs, who potted three goals and dished four assists, setting a new single-game career high with seven points. Four single-game assists is also a new career best for the senior from Vienna, Virginia.
Jacksonville's dominant win wasn't without its challenges, none larger than mother nature. Lightning and driving rains were on and off through the afternoon, leading to an hour-long delay coming out of halftime.
But the Dolphins were never swayed, and come rain or shine, delivered the largest postseason win by margin of victory since 2021.
Scruggs was on fire in the first quarter, dishing all four of her helpers in the first 15 minutes of action. With her roaming the lefty wing, Jacksonville was peppering the Flames net early and often.
Senior
Maddi Santini scored the game's first goal, handing a tough feed and scoring the first of her career-high three goals on the day. Sophomore
Shae Hagans scored her first of the night, then junior
Maeve Brennan turned on the highlight reel for the first --- but not last --- time in the game.
She received a rocket of a pass from Scruggs and cooly flung the ball behind her back and past the goalie for the finish.
Junior
Jessica Giller closed the quarter with a goal to put JU up 4-0 after the first stanza. The second quarter was more of the same, as Jacksonville kept its foot on the gas through into halftime.Â
Junior
Julia Nicholson got the party started, faking her shot then putting it past the net-minder for the finish. After two Liberty goals, senior
Maggie Cuddy got the Dolphins on the board. With JU playing down a player, the first-team All-ASUN defender corralled a ground ball and took it all the way herself for the goal.
Two finishes from Scruggs later and Jacksonville took an 8-2 lead into halftime. Then the Dolphins wouldn't see the field for an hour of real time. Fits of lightning brought the game to a halt right as the teams exited the locker room, but despite the delay, JU was sharper than ever.
Jacksonville outscored the Flames 9-1 in the second half, blowing the game away and setting the stage for a title fight on Saturday.
Junior
Allyx Berry got her first tally of the postseason, then Brennan got her second of the day with a dunk on the crease. Santini doubled her tally, and Giller converted a free-position opportunity before Brennan busted out the fireworks again.
Giller fired a laser to Brennan curling up the crease, and the junior attacker flipped the ball behind her back as she hit the turf, completing her hat-trick with style.
Scruggs opened the fourth quarter by completing her hat-trick. After a Liberty goal, junior
Maddie Herman and
Chloe Luther added their names to the score sheet while Santini capped off the first hat-trick of her career.
Game Notes
- The last time JU won a postseason game by 14 or more goals was a 21-6 win over Stetson in the 2021 ASUN Conference Tournament.
- Brennan finished with four points. She's recorded at least three points in 13-straight games and all but two games this season.
- Scruggs and Hagans eclipsed the 50 point mark on the season. JU has four 50-point producers this year (Scruggs, Hagans, Brennan and Giller), tying the most 50-point scorers since 2019.
- Senior Abby Moran won 10 draw controls while JU won the draw battle as a team 17-5.
Head Coach Tara Singleton
On the win
"I think tonight we had a lot of fun, and I loved watching the joy that we played with. I love that we played fearlessly. I really appreciated seeing so many goal scorers and so many people with assists. Ainsley [Scruggs] was huge for us with seven points. There were so many people that contributed tonight. Defensively, holding this group to three goals is pretty special, and this is a special group."
On the team's energy and resilience
"I think it's a testament to our crew. People make the place, and I think we've got really special people."
Up Next
The Dolphins will face the No. 1 Delaware Blue Hens Saturday at 1 PM back at Rock Stadium, as JU looks to raise its 10th ASUN Conference Championship.Â
