As the number of seconds ticked away in the game, so did the number of fans still sitting in the bleachers at Hodges Stadium on Saturday night. After the game, a large portion of the announced crowd of 931 fans stormed the field to celebrate UNF’s thrilling 4-3 victory against Jacksonville University. 

The Ospreys used a brace from midfielder David Perez, who scored a goal in both halves, to secure their first ASUN win. UNF took advantage of JU miscues and scored an own goal in the second half. Tensions were high during the rivalry match, as four yellow cards were issued— three in the final frame

First Half

Perez continued his fast start in ASUN play with a third-minute unassisted goal. The Ospreys fired off six shots in the first 15 minutes of the opening frame, with two shots by Perez. 

JU’s first shot of the game was a goal by Carson Wood in the 25th minute, which evened the score at one apiece. Perez notched a pair of shots between the 25th and 35th minute, which led to a 38th-minute tiebreaking goal by Joaquin Acuna. 

The Ospreys only needed to hold back the Dolphins for the next seven minutes to enter the locker room with a lead. However, JU had other plans. In the half’s final seconds, the Dolphins scored their second goal, resulting in a tied score at halftime.

JU and the Ospreys were tied 2-2 at halftime despite JU having seven fewer shots in the first frame. The Dolphins scored on both shot attempts in the first half.

Second Half

UNF had a near exact start to the second half as they did the first half. The Ospreys opened the scoring with a fourth-minute goal by Perez, which secured the redshirt junior’s first brace. 

“When [JU] equalized at 2-2, our heads could’ve easily gone down,” said head coach Jamie Davies. “But they didn’t and we kept fighting.”

UNF extended their lead in the 55th minute after a costly mistake by JU gave the Ospreys a 4-2 advantage. The back-and-forth match continued in the 62nd minute as JU answered with a deficit-cutting goal. UNF’s lead was back to one, 4-3, and the Ospreys needed to hold strong for another 30 minutes. 

UNF played a more defensive approach near game’s end, as the Ospreys went shotless the final half hour. JU exploded with four shots of their own but failed to capitalize on a single scoring chance. North Florida may have bent, but they did not break.

Postgame Reactions

Many at Hodges Stadium last night didn’t need to hear from Davies to know this was a big win for Ospreys. The spectators could tell by the reactions from UNF players and fans that this was a shift in momentum for the team. 

“It’s huge,” Davies said. “The boys should be really proud of what they did tonight.”

Perez was one of the key contributors to Saturday’s win. Davies complimented his leadership and calmness during games. 

“He’s an experienced player,” Davies said. “These games are emotional and frantic, and he’s calm.”

Davies noted that Perez’s confidence has built with each goal. Perez scored three of UNF’s last five goals, but the Oregon State transfer credited his team when asked about his scoring streak. 

“It’s a team effort,” Perez said. “I only put the ball inside of the box.”

Perez said this win is “more special” and that the team talked about this match days leading up to it.

UNF is now 14-14-2 all-time against Jacksonville and improves to 3-5-2 on the season. 

The Ospreys will look to build off of this rivalry win when they travel south for a game against FGCU in Fort Myers. Kickoff is on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.

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