Overtime thriller in Sunshine State favors Colorado

Colorado Buffaloes attacker Rachel Kennedy makes a pass during warmups at Kittredge Field. The redshirt junior scored three goals to help CU beat Jacksonville on Monday. (Photo by Jacob Hock/Sko Buffs Sports)

In a non-conference Monday road game against the Jacksonville Dophins (8-4), the No. 15 Colorado Buffaloes (8-3) secured a nail-biting 10-9 overtime victory. 

Having recorded more shots, free position shots, ground balls and clears than the Dolphins, the Buffaloes continued to demonstrate their dominance. However, CU was served with a comparable defensive matchup, as JU had the same number of saves as Colorado and more caused turnovers. 

“Jacksonville is just a tough team. They're scrappy, they're aggressive, they're talented on both sides, and they're really good at the draw,” head coach Ann Elliot Whidden said. “We knew [it would be] a battle. For our group, I'm proud of them for finding a way to get it done — that was the most important part.”

A trio of attackers in redshirt junior Rachel Kennedy, junior Jaimey Hill and freshman Rowan Edson provided the Buffaloes their offensive spark with three, two and two goals, respectively. Both Kennedy and Hill reached 50 career points. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Elena Oh had six saves on 19 shots, allowing Colorado to continue to hold all opponents to nine or fewer goals all season. 

Kennedy opened all scorers, getting a put-back goal off a steal just three minutes into the game. The Dolphins quickly answered with a shot into the lower left corner of the net by sophomore attacker Shea Hagans after a broken play. 

Jacksonville would go on a 3-0 run with a goal from junior midfielder Jessica Giller during a power play opportunity and a shot into the bottom of the net by junior attacker Maeve Brennan. 

An answer from Colorado would not come for another six minutes when junior defender Averi Gardener capitalized on a free position chance and drove it to the net. The Buffaloes were down one at the end of the first quarter, 3-2. 

Colorado opened the second quarter rough after committing a shot clock violation and giving a personnel advantage to Jacksonville. However, they staved off the Dolphins’ offense and regain possession. Senior attacker Lily Assini evened up the score with a spin move inside the fan for CU.

During just their first power play of the game, the Buffaloes capitalized with a rising shot to the top left corner by Hill. This was quickly followed by a give-and-go shot by Kennedy, assisted by Assini. CU went into the half up 5-3. 

The Dolphins did not score in the second quarter and were held to just one shot by Colorado’s defense. 

Jacksonville came out of the half ready to roll and scored back-to-back goals. A steal by freshman attacker Paige Garguilo in Colorado’s backcourt led to a quick goal for her. Then, a free position shot by junior midfielder Allyx Berry snuck by Oh, putting the Dolphins down by just one. 

The Buffaloes then went on a two-goal run of their own, fueled by Hill and Ryan, who both navigated through traffic to regain a two-goal lead for Colorado. 

A caused turnover by JU gave it a transition opportunity as Brennan shot into the back of the nylon. Then a penalty by the Buffs gave Jacksonville a free position shot that they nailed, leaving the game tied up at seven. 

After a broken play by the Dolphins, senior attacker Ainsley Scruggs dropped the hammer right over the stick of Oh, leaving Colorado down by one heading into the fourth quarter. 

Edson opened the fourth for the Buffs with a powerful free possession shot to tie the game once again. However, JU was quick to answer with a power play hat trick-earning score from Giller. 

After a Colorado timeout, a transition clear off a Dolphins turnover led to another hat trick for CU, this time coming from Kennedy. This shot tied up the game and was the last goal of regulation for either side, causing the game to go into a five-minute, sudden-death overtime. 

Colorado won the opening draw and did not give up the ball for the rest of overtime. Jacksonville’s goalkeeper saved a shot by Hill, but Edson was able to gather the ground ball and make the put-back to give the Buffs their 10-9 overtime victory. 

The Buffs will jump back into conference play at home this Saturday against Cincinnati (8-6, 0-2 Big 12). First draw is set for noon on Prentup Field and will be streaming on ESPN+.