MELBOURNE, Florida – A magical season has ended for the 8^th-ranked Jones County Junior College Lady Bobcats.
Sixth-ranked Eastern Florida broke a 3-3 tie with two goals in the final 18:20 and defeated JCJC 5-3 here Saturday evening in the NJCAA District H playoff game at the Titan Soccer Complex.
The Lady Bobcats end the season at 15-2.
Eastern Florida, 14-2, advances to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, which they will host Nov. 14-19.
The Lady Bobcats took a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the first half when Ashleigh Lewis (London, England) scored off a Mary Kate Smith (South Jones) assist at 44:19.
The Titans got the first of their five second-half goals at 50:45 when Nathali Da Silva scored with Darien Davis getting the assist. EFSC went up 2-1 at 56:58 when Da Silva scored again and they took a 3-1 lead at 62:08 when Khadija Shaw scored on a penalty kick.
But the Lady Bobcats would storm back quickly.
Parker Welch (Brandon) scored on a header on Kelly Stubbington's (London, England) free kick at 67:40. JCJC tied it at 69:01 when Lewis scored again off another Smith assist.
But Shaw scored at 71:40 and Da Silva got the hat trick at 82:22 to give EFSC a two-goal cushion.
Brittney Snyder was in goal for JCJC.
It was JCJC's third appearance in the District H playoffs. The Lady Bobcats lost at Tyler Junior College (Texas) in 2010 and fell to Eastern Florida in Ellisville in 2013.