NASL Jacksonville Armada FC

Four Former JU Dolphins Help Lead Armada FC to 2-0 Win over Alma Mater

Published on March 25, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Jacksonville Armada FC News Release


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (March 25, 2015) - Jacksonville University alumni Nurdin Hrustic, Tommy Krizanovic, Ramak Safi and Tyler Williams helped lead the Jacksonville Armada FC to a 2-0 win over JU on Wednesday night at Southern Oak Stadium on the JU campus.

Krizanovic, who was named Farah & Farah Man of the Match, helped guide the Armada FC to the win with an assist on the match-winning goal. The win evened the Armada FC's preseason record to 3-3 and gave the club its second shutout in friendlies.

The Armada FC stayed true to its brand of possession soccer and held on to the ball for the majority of the night, which led to a bevy of opportunities. The club notched notched preseason highs in shots (20) and shots on goal (7).

"I definitely liked the way we played tonight," said co-head coach Guillermo Hoyos. "We trained very hard coming into this match, and it was good to see us play the rhythm we wanted. We were able to rotate a lot of players tonight, which is something I believe in."

Trialist Akeil Barrett put the Armada FC up 1-0 in the 43rd minute when Krizanovic slid a pass through the keeper box and Barrett banged it home. Forward Jemal Johnson put the Armada FC up 2-0 in the 51st minute when he snuck a curving shot in the top left of the goal for his first score of the preseason.

"It was a great feeling (to score that goal)," Johnson said. "I got the ball inside the box, saw the far corner free and just let it go. We've worked on a lot of attacking football this week in training, so it was great to see good ball movement tonight."

The Dolphins held tight with the Armada FC in the first half and stayed strong on the back end despite a barrage of six Armada FC shots in the first 23 minutes. JU then came back with a run of four shots, including a close chance by the Dolphins' Allan Morgan in the 31st minute that was saved by Armada FC goalkeeper Sebastian Evers, who got his first start of the preseason.

After Barrett's goal, the Armada FC took control in the second half by holding onto to the ball and spending a lot of time on JU's side of the field. Armada FC forward Alhassane Keita, who led the team in shots with five, had considerable scoring opportunities in the 59th, 77th and 81st minutes.

The nightcap followed the Tampa Bay Rowdies' 2-1 win over FC Edmonton in the earlier contest that kicked off the Armada FC Four-Team Challenge.

The Challenge will move to EverBank Field on Saturday, which is highlighted by the Armada FC's 5 p.m. showdown with the Rowdies. The day will start with JU taking on Flagler College at 12:30 p.m. and FC Edmonton facing the Carolina RailHawks at 3 p.m.

Tickets to Saturday's tripleheader start at $14 and are available by calling 1.844.2.ARMADA or by going to armadafc.com .

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North American Soccer League Stories from March 25, 2015


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