John Joyce

JU soccer scored a W in the opening round of the A-Sun Tournament in Macon, Ga. Saturday November 6 with a last minute tie-breaking goal against Mercer. The Dolphins Men’s squad overcame the 1-1 deadlock with three minutes to spare in regulation.

Junior midfielder Chris Helms handled junior defender Predrag Ivanovic’s pass and sent the team into the second round of the tournament with the game winning shot in the 87^th minute.

The Dolphins scored early in the first half to set the tempo and played solid defense the remainder of the half. The second half saw an aggressive Bear’s assault thwarted by two saves from goalie Zach Greenwald and a couple of wide shots, but Mercer refused to give up. The Bears’ Ryan Young scored late in the second half finishing a corner kick by teammate Ian Cameron.

Our own Helms and Ivanovic iced the Bears before they got too hot.

“We gave up a late goal but we were able to find a way to win,” JU head coach Mike Johnson commented.

Up next for the Dolphins are the No. 2 Stetson Hatters on November 11 in Johnson City, Tenn. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m.

JU will host their first ever Women’s Soccer A-Sun Championship Tournament this month. The No.1 Dolphins’ Ashley Sports Complex will showcase No. 2 Mercer, No.4 Kennesaw St. and No. 6 Stetson. Tournament play begins Thursday, Nov. 4 at 4 p.m. with the semifinal round in which Mercer will face Stetson and Jacksonville University will take on Kennesaw St.

Head Coach Brian Copham was named A-Sun Coach of the Year this week, leading his team to a 12-4-2 overall record and going 8-1-1 in the conference, the best conference record the Dolphins have posted since 2000.

A-Sun First Team honors where extended to Devon Dowell, Liz Fink and Lisa Hensley. Second Team honors went to Alexa Rooney and Jessica Hurtado.  Courtney Conrad and Ally Lee were both named to the All-Freshman team.

Coach Copham stated that the team was “very excited and proud” to be recognized for their “hard work and success this season.”

The team’s success can be attributed to on the field leadership as well as from the sidelines. Look for that to continue throughout the tournament as you turn out Thursday to support the home team. Fan turnout has been high and the energetic all season so expect the intensity on and off the field to ratchet up a notch.

Photo by Steve Acker

The JU men’s soccer team fell victim again to missed chances after dropping a 3-2 contest in double overtime to Belmont in Atlantic Sun Conference action on Sunday at the Ashley Sports Complex.

Brandon Tarr scored two of the three goals, including the game-winning score for the Bruins (5-7, 2-2 A-Sun) in the 103rd minute. Nico Olsak had a goal and an assist, while Lou Manning finished with 10 saves between the posts.

The Dolphins (6-5-1, 1-2) outshot their opponent for the second straight match, 26-15. Senior Nedim Hrustic recorded both goals to keep JU in it and junior Darko Karamatic finished with a game-high five shot attempts.

“This was another tough loss,” said JU head coach Mike Johnson. “Our guys are getting the right chances, but we are not getting it through the net when we really need one. We have to change this course soon because we have a tough stretch next weekend.”

JU took the first seven attempts of the game and connected on the last one in the 23rd minute to take a 1-0 advantage.

Sophomore Davide Faga dribbled the ball from a corner kick to the far left corner of the box, but had his shot blocked. He saved the loose ball and served it to Hrustic, who put it in the back of the net for the goal.

The Dolphins had a chance to double their lead less than 10 minutes into the second half as Hrustic and junior Casey Tafuri set up a beautiful pass to junior Daniele Campailla, but his attempt went over the net.

In the 59th minute, the Bruins had a free kick from midfield that Nico Olsak shot straight high at the box and Tarr flicked the ball into the net to tie the match.

Olsak gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead in the 73rd minute after taking his own blocked shot by JU goalie Johnny Foley and scoring on an open net.

The Dolphins tied the match on a free kick less than nine minutes later as Campailla and Karamatic serviced a good pass that Hrustic headed into the goal.

Junior Predrag Ivanovic scored for JU with less than seven minutes left in the match, but he was whistled off sides. Foley saved a Belmont attempt at the end of regulation to force overtime.

After a scoreless first overtime, Karamatic tried to end the match less than a minute in the frame with a hard shot attempt that nicked the post and flicked out of bounds.

Charlie Dankert found Tarr in the box two minutes later with a pass that he headed past Foley for the game-winning score.

The Dolphins will look to regroup on the road next week when they play East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn. on Friday at 7 p.m.

An opening goal for the JU women’s soccer team wasn’t enough for a win as the Dolphins played USF to a 1-1 draw on Friday night at the Ashley Sports Complex.

The Dolphins (3-3-1) were led by the first collegiate goal for freshman forward Courtney Conrad. Although being outshot by the Bulls (4-1-1), 34-15, JU had a great performance turned in by junior keeper Alexa Rooney, making 13 saves, allowing a goal from a penalty kick.

“This was a great performance for us,” said JU head coach Brian Copham. “Of course, we would have liked to get a goal in the extra time but it was a great team effort.”

The Dolphins narrowly missed taking the opening goal of the game inside the first minute off the foot of midfilder Becca Massip. The sophomore was put in on goal by freshman Courtney Conrad and her shot from just outside the box flashed narrowly wide.

JU found another chance in the 23rd minute after strong midfield pressure forced USF to give the ball away. A push down the right side led to a cross, finding Conrad, but after a move around a defender, her shot from eight yards out was blocked.

Rooney kept the game even on a great save with five minutes left in the half after Venicia Reed broke to the goal and fired a shot right at the sophomore. Rooney was up to the challenge, punching the ball back to the top of the box.

The Dolphins were also first with a chance to score in the second half thanks to a great effort from sophomore midfielder Emily Culbreth. Culbreth’s great cut from the wing left her with space to fire a shot that missed the top of the goal by inches.

All the pressure would finally pay off for JU as Conrad tallied the first goal of her collegiate career. A run through the middle of the field from redshirt-junior Liz Fink resulted in a perfectly weighted ball through the middle of the defense, finding Conrad for the easy finish into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

With six minutes left in regulation, the Bulls drew a penalty when a forward went down in the box. Chelsea Klotz stepped up to the spot and buried a ball into the top right-hand corner to level the match.

Neither side produced many opportunities in either half of extra time and the game finished 1-1.

The Dolphins will be back on Sunday at 2 p.m. when they host Francis Marion at the Ashley Sports Complex.