On Sunday night at Hodges Stadium, the University of North Florida women’s soccer team suffered a late-game collapse against Jacksonville University, losing 2-1 in the first edition of the ‘River City Rumble.’
Despite holding the Dolphins to single-digit shots for most of the game, North Florida allowed multiple late shots and corner kick attempts, leading to two Jacksonville goals in five minutes. Following the loss, an athletics spokesperson would not allow Spinnaker to interview head coach Eric Faulconer and said that the coach was “pissed.”
Half One
Facing a top offense in the country, UNF opened the game by not being too aggressive on offense. This allowed the Dolphins to play into the Ospreys’ defense, preventing any JU scoring chances.
For the first 15 minutes, neither team generated much offense. Besides a fourth-minute UNF corner kick, no shots were attempted. Instead, both teams were getting oriented with each other.
However, this quickly changed. In the 16th minute, UNF showcased impressive passing and teamwork.
It all started with senior midfielder Chloe Lynch, who passed it to redshirt junior Isabella Pontieri. Then, Ponteiri threaded the ball in between two Dolphin defenders to redshirt junior Allie Fekany, who netted a goal.
With five goals, Fekany tied Ponteiri for the team lead.
Attempting to even the score, ASUN leading goal scorer Alicia Rey Perez fired off a shot that goalkeeper Chrissa Avery saved.
After the midway point, sophomore forward Allison Soures launched two shots in consecutive minutes. Overall, UNF finished the frame with six shots, including two shots on target, compared to one shot for Jacksonville.
Holding the Dolphins’ potent offense scoreless, UNF headed to the locker room feeling good about their chances of winning.
Half Two
Initially, the second half was more of the same for both teams. In addition to multiple off-target passes, many Jacksonville shots had too much leg, causing them to launch over the crossbar.
While its scoring chances weren’t high quality, JU was still creating more shots on goal in this half. With UNF allowing more shots, it was only a matter of time before the Dolphins equalized.
Between minutes 48 and 66, UNF gave up seven shots, but none crossed the net. Stepping up its pressure, JU drew five UNF fouls in between these shots.
As the final frame progressed, JU continued to launch shots, with each increasing in quality. Nonetheless, with 22 minutes remaining, Avery made a diving save to preserve the UNF lead.
Before Jacksonville tied the score, after the 75th minute, each team was issued a yellow card.
A couple of minutes later, during a JU corner kick, Ana Alvarez Garcia’s header found the back of the net. This equalized the score at one, but Jacksonville wasn’t done yet.
With five minutes left, Alvarez Garcia found Layla Garcia-Moreno camping near the goal. Garcia-Moreno proceeded to score the go-ahead goal for Jacksonville.
As time dwindled, UNF went from stalling with the lead to playing frantically. Looking to at least get a point from this game, the Ospreys tried to move the ball across the pitch, but for the rest of the game, Jacksonville allowed zero UNF shot attempts.
With the loss, UNF drops to 4-6-2 overall and 2-1 in ASUN action, while JU surges to 6-3-1 and 3-0 in conference play.
UNF will have its chance to even the series against Jacksonville on Oct. 19. Currently, UNF and Jacksonville both have one win in the ‘River City Rumble’ standings.
Coach unavailable for comment after the game
Following the game, head coach Eric Faulconer was unavailable for comment, according to UNF Assistant AD of Communications Nathaniel Jarrett. The next day, UNF communications assistant Thomas Hunt, who, according to UNF Athletics, is the primary contact of UNF Women’s soccer, sent Spinnaker a quote from Faulconer this morning.
In this message, Faulconer mentioned that his team did a “good job” of controlling Jacksonville’s offensive flow for the first 60 minutes. Ultimately, since soccer is a 90-minute game, Faulconer wants to see his team continue its defensive intensity late in games.
“This one stings,” Faulconer said. “Our players are disappointed and it will be important for us to respond against Setson with a 90-minute performance.”
UNF will try not to dwell on this heartbreaking loss too much as the Ospreys face a quick turnaround. This Thursday, UNF will face Stetson in DeLand, Florida. First touch is set for 7 p.m
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