Dramatic comeback earns Armada Women draw in home opener
It's only year two for the Jacksonville Armada Women's U-23 squad in the Women's Premier Soccer League, but they may have just provided their most memorable moment Saturday afternoon in a home opening 4-4 draw at Edward Waters University.
The Girls in Blue fell behind early, allowing three goals in a five-minute span in the match against the two-time defending conference champions, the West Florida Flames. They would finally get on the board in the 61st minute when Sarah Brunner coolly stepped around the West Florida goalkeeper and slotted it home. That momentum would be short-lived with the Flames answering just five minutes later.
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The outcome looked decided late in the match with West Florida up 4-1 in the 85th minute when Jacksonville started its comeback. Liz Anne Fogarty scored for the second time in as many matches to make it 4-2, but that scoreline wouldn't last for long. Just three minutes later, Talitha Hines scored to make it 4-3 in the 89th minute. The Armada had a number of chances in stoppage time to even the score before a late corner set up the dramatic finish. Initially cleared, the ball fell to Jianna Ramirez, who sent it back towards the net in search of a teammate. Instead, it went over the goalkeeper's head, off the post, and into the back of the net.
That proved to be the final action in an amazing 4-4 finish between two top 25 nationally ranked teams and the expected frontrunners in the WPSL's Sunshine Conference this summer.
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The Armada Women return to action next weekend with a road trip to face AGC Football, while Nathaniel Glover Community Field and Stadium will play host to the Men's U-23 team Saturday night at 7 pm against Miami Dutch Lions FC. You can watch that matchup live on the Action Sports Jax 24/7 network.
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Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Storylines to follow during June's second huge visit weekend
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New York Times
2 hours ago
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
After hitting ‘rock bottom,' Braves can still salvage their season – if they snap out of it
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The Astros got going about two weeks later. But not every club reaches its desired destination. Another projected contender last season, the Texas Rangers, showed how some teams never recover from faulty starts, missing the playoffs one year after winning the World Series. The Braves, if they don't snap out of it, could be this year's Rangers. Their plus-6 run differential indicates their record should be above .500, yet they are seven games under. They have played a major-league-high 25 one-run games, and are only 9-16 in those contests. Even with the deadline offering an opportunity for improvement, an opportunity Anthopoulos seized to catapult his club to a championship in 2021, the strength of the NL this season adds to the degree of difficulty. The Braves need more from their offense, which, before their 10-run eruption Thursday, was tied with the Marlins for 22nd in runs per game. They also need to fix their bullpen, which underwent another shakeup after Thursday's shocking ninth-inning collapse — Daysbel Hernández to the injured list, Scott Blewett designated for assignment and Craig Kimbrel and Dylan Dodd up from Triple A. Yet, for all the Braves' middle-inning maneuvering, the biggest problem remains closer Raisel Iglesias, whose .956 opponents' OPS essentially means he is turning every hitter into Pete Alonso. Not even the highly anticipated returns of right-hander Spencer Strider and right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. altered the Braves' trajectory. Strider is trying to regain his form after missing all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery and nearly a month this season with a strained right hamstring. Acuña, coming off nearly a yearlong absence due to a torn ACL in his left knee, is performing better than the Braves could have expected, batting .333 with four home runs and a 1.056 OPS. Yet the team is 3-9 since his return. Bad breaks are part of this. The loss of right-hander Reynaldo López to shoulder inflammation after one start. The offseason knee surgery that might sideline setup man Joe Jiménez all season. The 80-game suspension to left fielder Jurickson Profar for testing positive for PEDs. Advertisement Well, all teams deal with injuries. The $42 million investment in Profar, based on his outlier campaign in 2024, was always going to be a gamble. And even the regressions of Harris (.590 OPS) and Albies (.658) reflect the volatility in individual performance that is part of the game. The Braves never expected catcher Drake Baldwin and outfielder Eli White to make such positive contributions, either. Early in the offseason, Anthopoulos orchestrated a series of moves to create payroll flexibility, trading designated hitter Jorge Soler, allowing catcher Travis d'Arnaud to depart as a free agent and restructuring the contracts of López and reliever Aaron Bummer. The Braves later lost Fried, right-hander Charlie Morton and reliever A.J. Minter to free agency as well. Profar turned out to be Anthopoulos' only significant addition. And the team, under its Liberty Media ownership, wound up with a lower payroll. Fried might win a Cy Young Award, but the Braves never were going to sign him to the $218 million contract he received from the New York Yankees, and their rotation isn't a problem. Anthopoulos non-tendered Griffin Canning, the pitcher he acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for Soler, and the Mets turned Canning into a potential All-Star. But none of the other players Anthopoulos lost is haunting him. His plan just isn't unfolding the way he envisioned. The way the Braves are constructed, an offense that set records in 2023 should be capable of succeeding with light-hitting Nick Allen at shortstop, just as the Astros once thrived with Martín Maldonado at catcher. A better version of outfielder Jarred Kelenic, an Anthopoulos acquisition from last offseason who earned a demotion at Triple A, surely would help. But the Braves shouldn't need to rely on him, either. Some seasons are like this. Some years it doesn't just work out. The Braves are talented enough to bounce back like they did in 2021, and like the Mets and Astros did last season. But at some point, they've got to show it. And they sure aren't showing it yet. (Top photo of Brian Snitker: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
