JU falls to USF in season opening exhibition

The Dolphins played 85 strong minutes in their season opening loss to USF, but allowed the Bulls to score twice in quick succession during the second half. Head coach Brian Copham chose to give five freshmen the nod for their first collegiate game during a muggy and overcast night.

The Bulls’ first score came in the 53rd minute when Gina Pacheco took a shot that deflected off a JU defender and rolled over the line. USF didn’t wait much longer before netting their second goal of the game when Chelsea Klotz scored from 15 yards out on one of her five shots.

“I thought we played well tonight,” Copham said. “We had good play once we settled down and started to create some opportunities. The goals we allowed were due to poor defending which we’ll correct. It was a good 90 minutes against a very athletic team and it was important for many of our players to get their first game under their belts.”

The Dolphins found themselves stumped by the Bulls’ defense as they were outshot 17-3, with none of JU’s shots finding the target. Starting goalkeeper Alexa Rooney made six saves in her 70 minutes for the visitors while Liz Fink led the team with two shots. The Dolphins played 18 players during the game.

JU will take a trip to Tallahassee, Fla. for their next fixture against nationally ranked Florida State, Aug. 21.