STATESBORO - Georgia Southern women's soccer notched a 3-0 victory over Jacksonville in its first home match of 2021, downing the Dolphins on Thursday evening at Eagle Field.
The Eagles improved to 1-1-1 on the season with the victory, while Jacksonville suffered its first loss of the season and fell to 2-1. Thursday's matchup was the first meeting between the two teams since 2015. The win was also the first home win for new head coach Chris Adams, who coached three matches in Spring 2021 - all on the road - and two in the Fall of 2021 before today's match.
"I didn't know what to expect," Coach Adams said. "But having a home crowd and sleeping in your own bed, is important. We definitely had that 12th man out here today. And props to Jeremy Yarbrough and the turf staff, our surface looks fantastic and the ball rolls great here at Eagle Field."
The match was scoreless until the 40th minute, when Olivia Durham drew a foul just outside the box on the right side for the Eagles. The free kick was promptly deposited into the upper corner by graduate student Marcela Montoya for her first goal of the season and the 1-0 advantage.
"Marcela, your senior leader lives for that kind of opportunity," Coach Adams said about the first goal. "When there's a free kick near the box, you have to let your veteran take that. She stays after practices, does individuals and really works on her game. All credit to her for working so hard outside of team training to be ready for that moment, and make the best of her chance."
The Eagles kept that lead into halftime, where Georgia Southern held a 10-5 edge in shots. In the second half, Jacksonville had a chance for the equalizer in the 70th minute, but freshman Michaela English saved a low driving shot by the Dolphins' Shelby Brim to keep the Eagles in front.
Georgia Southern put the match away with a pair of goals in the final five minutes of action. In the 86th minute, junior Karin Winka brought the ball up the field and fed a pass to Montoya, who laid it off to senior Olivia Durham just beyond the box. Her shot beat JU keeper Courtney Green high for her first goal as an Eagle and the 2-0 advantage.
Senior Vala Kristin Theodorsdottir capped the scoring in the 89th minute as she scored on a turn around shot from the top of the box, off of a feed from Winka.
Georgia Southern finished the match with an 19-8 edge in shots. English made three saves in net for her first collegiate shutout, while Green made one save for the Dolphins. Georgia Southern had five corner kicks, compared to four for Jacksonville, and the Eagles were offsides three times, with the Dolphins offsides once. JU was whistled for six fouls and Georgia Southern two.
The Eagles return to action on Sunday, traveling to Charleston, S.C., for a 1 p.m. non-conference contest at Charleston Southern.
