JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Old Dominion women's lacrosse team suffered its first conference loss of the season, falling to reigning Atlantic Sun champ Jacksonville, 16-6, on Sunday afternoon at D.B. Milne Field in Jacksonville, Florida.
Old Dominion (9-3, 2-1 A-Sun) led 3-2 early the first half and trailed, 6-5, at halftime, but a 3-0 run by Jacksonville (9-4, 4-0 A-Sun) to start the second half proved to be enough for the Dolphins, who have not lost an A-Sun game in three years in the league.
In the first half, senior Alex Danks, a Florida native, opened the scoring for ODU, firing home a free position attempt to tie the score at 1-1. The Dolphins answered just a minute later to regain the lead, but back-to-back goals from Ashmore Standing and Connor Carson gave the Lady Monarchs its first, and only, lead at the 20:32 mark of the first half.
Mary Margaret McCaleb and Morgan Marrale each netted equalizing goals for ODU in the first half, but Jacksonville tallied a goal in the final three minutes to take a 6-5 lead into halftime. At the half, JU held a 20-13 advantage in shots and an 8-4 edge in draw controls.
The Dolphins continued their momentum into the second half, opening with three consecutive goals to extend the lead to 9-5. Megan Topper brought ODU back within three, scoring off of an assist from Marrale, but the Dolphins quickly answered to go back ahead, 10-6.
The Dolphins then closed the game with six consecutive goals for the 16-6 final score. Overall, Jacksonville outshot ODU, 37-22, and held a 16-8 advantage in draw controls. The Lady Monarchs committed 16 turnovers, while forcing 15, and ground balls were even at 15-15.
Megan Cameron, Marrale and Cydney Tutchton each recorded an assist for the Lady Monarchs, while the defense was led by Missy Koscinski and Tutchton, who each forced two turnovers.
Maggi Buckley played the full 60 minutes in goal, recording 13 saves.
UP NEXT
ODU returns to Norfolk for a pair of A-Sun matchups next weekend. The Lady Monarchs host Mercer on Friday, April 15, at 7 p.m., before taking on Kennesaw State on Sunday, April 17, at 12 p.m. Admission is free for all fans.
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