Florida Sports Wire

BY STAFF FLORIDA SPORTS WIRE  STOCKTON, CA  – The Jacksonville Sharks led by six points at halftime in ArenaBowl XXVIII, but opened the third quarter with back-to-back turnovers on offense.  The miscues allowed the San Jose SaberCats to take the lead for good, as the Sharks fell by a 67-48 count at Stockton Arena on Saturday night. Jacksonville (12-9) led by a 33-27 score coming out of the locker room for the start of the third quarter before San Jose (20-1) quarterback Erik Meyer engineered a touchdown drive on the opening possession of the second half.  Meyer’s 26-yard pass to D.J. Stephens allowed San Jose to take its first lead of the game, as the SaberCats seized a 34-33 advantage. In the loss, Tommy Grady completed 22 of his 36 pass attempts for 310 yards and seven touchdowns against one interception. Fullback Derrick Ross was limited to 13 rushing yards on his seven carries.  At receiver, Hills paced the Jacksonville offense with nine receptions for 133 yards and four

NEW YORK - The standings remained the same after Ottawa Fury FC and the New York Cosmos settled for a hard-fought draw in a match between the league's top two sides on Wednesday. With neither side picking up breathing room, the race to The Championship remains extremely close. In Week 9, Ottawa hosts a struggling Tampa Bay Rowdies side to kick off Saturday's matches at 7:00 p.m. ET.  Three matches will then get underway at 7:30 when the Atlanta Silverbacks host an FC Edmonton side that is looking to rebound from a tough result a weekend ago, while the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Indy Eleven aim to build momentum - and their unbeaten runs - from Lockhart Stadium.  Jackonville Armada FC hosts the San Antonio Scorpions in a rematch of last weekend's action, which San Antonio won, 1-0. In the lone Sunday match, the New York Cosmos can continue its dominant run of form at home when they host the Carolina RailHawks. A full match preview of all the action is below: J

KODAK, Tenn. - The Jacksonville Suns (24-37, 53-77) were shutout by the Tennessee Smokies (31-30, 70-60) 7-0 Friday night from Smokies Stadium. Andres Santiago (W, 3-5) finished eight innings scoreless allowing two hits while not walking a batter and striking out six. while Suns starter Chipper Smith (L, 3-4) lasted five frames allowing two runs (both earned) on four hits while walking three and striking out seven. The Smokies started their threat at the plate in the bottom of the fourth, after Wilson Contreas worked a lead off walk, followed by a double off the bat of Dan Vogelbach that placed runners on the corners and nobody out. It was Jeimer Candelario that laced a RBI single into left that moved the Smokies in front 1-0. Next batter Stephen Bruno, grounded a run-scoring fielder’s choice to shortstop moving the advantage to 2-0 through four frames of play. Moving to the last of the sixth, the Smokies got their first two runners aboard courtesy of a pair of walks offered up

By FRED WITT Jax Golf News This year's Gate Invitational was not without controversy. The winner was Dan Olsen, a former Touring pro, but his eligibility was questioned by some of the competitors. The rules say that entrants must be employed PGA pros, but some feel that Olsen's stated”employment” of teaching at local clubs and schools doesn't count if the owner doesn't consider him an employee. Don't fault the Gate. There was a Chapter event the previous week and Olsen was allowed to enter. • There's a lot of sentiment to change the rules governing dropping the ball. No more drops, say the non-purists. Let's all place the ball, thus saving time and making things equal for all. Apparently, there's enough support in the USGA to move it along, but the R&A has doubts. Pro shops will be serviced either by soft goods salespeople, or they'll have to do it on the internet. • Hard to imagine, but Nike has dumped its hard goods r

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.– The Jacksonville Suns (22-35, 51-75) were dropped by the Birmingham Barons (32-24, 65-60) 11-2 Monday night from Regions Field. Matt Heidenreich (W, 1-0) in his start for Birmingham worked six frames surrendering one run (earned) on two hits while two and striking out four. Suns starter Jarlin Garcia (L, 0-2) lasted three innings allowing seven runs (all earned) on seven hits (one home run) while walking three and striking out two in a losing decision. The scoring would begin in the bottom of the first after the Barons put a pair of runners in scoring position after a walk to Jacob May, and a double by Nick Delmonico. It was then Christian Marrero (HR, 13) ripping a three-run home run to left to leap his squad ahead 3-0. In the third the Barons loaded the bases after a pair of walks and a single. Tony Thomas then mashed a bases-clearing three RBI triple moving Birmingham ahead 6-0. With two outs now in the frame, Joey DiMichele reached on a fielder’s choice and

NEW YORK --   Billy Forbes came off the bench to score the game's only goal as the San Antonio Scorpions beat visiting Jacksonville Armada FC, 1-0, to climb out of last place in the Fall Season Standings. The New York Cosmos scored three goals in the first 11 minutes of the second half on Saturday night and stretched their Fall Season unbeaten streak to six games with a 3-1 victory over the Carolina RailHawks at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. New York midfielder Leo Fernandes continued his torrid offensive display, scoring his team-leading seventh goal, then providing an assist to Lucky Mkosana for the eventual game-winning goal. Fernandes, 23, who grew up on Long Island not far from the Cosmos' home stadium at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., has now scored a goal in three consecutive games. In other games on Saturday night, Minnesota United FC went to Florida and left with a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Christian Ramirez's seven-game goalscoring

STATESBORO, Ga. – Jacksonville University's women's soccer team was the first fall program to compete in the 2015-16 season, and the ladies opened the campaign on a high note – a 2-2 draw at Georgia Southern. Under the Friday night lights, the Dolphins battled back from an early deficit to push the match into double overtime. Senior forward Marie Weckhurst registered JU's first goal of the year and continued to create opportunities for her teammates with an assist on the second score. "We had a bit of a rough start, but after the first 25-30 minutes were over, I was pleased with how we played," Head Coach Brian Copham said. "I was proud of the way we fought back to get the equalizer. We had a number of gutty performances today especially out of the group that played all 110 minutes. I saw a lot of positives tonight and think we have a lot to build on." The Eagles broke out of the gate with two quick goals, scoring a minute into the match and again

NEW YORK - With league-leading Ottawa Fury FC off this weekend, several clubs can make up ground in the North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season Standings.  Week 8 action starts with Saturday night matches in Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay, and San Antonio and ends with an afternoon matinee north of the border in Edmonton. Leading the way on Saturday is a trio of matches with 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff times. The Atlanta Silverbacks hosts Indy Eleven, the Carolina RailHawks welcome the New York Cosmos, and Minnesota United FC pays a visit to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. At 8:30 p.m. ET, the San Antonio Scorpions take the field against visiting Jacksonville Armada FC.  Sunday's lone match will take place at Clarke Field, where FC Edmonton plays host to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at 4 p.m. ET. San Antonio Scorpions vs. Jacksonville Armada FC 8:30 p.m. ET | Saturday, August 22 Toyota Field | San Antonio, Texas Watch | ESPN3 (National - U.S.), NASL.com (National - Canada), CW17 (

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sharks will square off against the Philadelphia Soul in the 2015 American Conference Championship on Sunday, August 23. Kickoff at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia is set for 5 p.m. ET, and the game will air live to a national audience on CBS Sports Network.  The winner of Sunday’s game will meet either the Arizona Rattlers or the San Jose SaberCats in ArenaBowl XXVIII. This is the fourth matchup between the Sharks and Soul this season. While Jacksonville took two of the three regular-season meetings, handing Philadelphia two of its three losses, it is worth noting that the home team emerged victorious from each of those three games. In fact, Philadelphia was the only team to run the table at home this season, as the Soul went 9-0 on its home turf during the regular season and defeated the Cleveland Gladiators in last week’s playoff opener. The Sharks will take the field on Sunday looking to both hand Philadelphia its first home loss of th

NEW YORK - Jacksonville Armada FC had quite the week, picking up six points over two matches. Midfielder Jaime Castrillón played a vital role in each of the victories and for his efforts, he was named North American Soccer League (NASL) Player of the Week on Monday. Castrillón, who has made 29 senior national team appearances for Colombia, opened the scoring in the Armada FC's 3-0 win over the Carolina RailHawks on Wednesday night. He then scored the game-winner in the club's 1-0 win over the Atlanta Silverbacks on Saturday night, firing home a rebound following a save from visiting goalkeeper Steward Ceus. "I am honored to receive this recognition, but it is really a nod to how well our team played last week," Castrillón said. "We never stopped attacking, and that led to our solid performances on both sides of the pitch. We will keep working hard so that we can keep our momentum going." In addition to finding the net twice last week, the 32-year-old m

By FRED SEELY Jacksonville Golf News The TPC Stadium Course and its surrounding area will get more of a facelift than we've previously heard after the 2016 Players.  The course will get a near-total renovation and that's not all, as the clubhouse will be spiffed up and even the parking lot will be reworked. The only big casualty will be the Web.Com Championship. Even though its Valley Course will be intact, the rest of the place will be a mess so look for it to move to another area course. • Web.Com CEO David Brown sold his oceanfront Atlantic Beach home recently. Buyer was Jaguars QB Blake Bortles. • The Father-Son event in Orlando later this year has an early favorite: Davis and Dru Love. Davis's game is on the upswing as he readies for the Champions Tour and Dru isn't a kid anymore. The rising junior at U. of Alabama won the Georgia Amateur. • You won't see goofy golf for at least another year as the Open will be at Baltusrol and the

ORLANDO  – Leading by a 35-27 count entering the fourth quarter, the Jacksonville Sharks scored 20 consecutive points to take command of Saturday’s game.  The Sharks used that surge to capture a 55-33 victory over the Orlando Predators in the opening round of the 2015 Arena Football League postseason. With the win, the Sharks advance to square off against the Philadelphia Soul in the American Conference Championship. Jacksonville (11-8) had built a 35-14 halftime lead thanks to two scores in the final minute of the first half. The Sharks were ahead by a 21-14 score when Tommy Grady fired a four-yard touchdown pass to Joe Hills with 30 seconds left in the half. On the ensuing Orlando (12-7) drive, Jack linebacker Alvin Ray Jackson made a tremendous diving interception to give the Sharks another chance with 13 seconds left in the half. Two plays later, Grady hit Hills again, as the third of their four touchdown connections gave Jacksonville a three-score halftime margin. But the Predat

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - On Wednesday night, the Jacksonville Armada FC dominated the Carolina RailHawks in 3-0 win and avenged its only home loss this season. Off the opening kickoff, Alhassane Keita made a run at the net. When he was rebuked, the RailHawks mounted a counterattack, but they were called offside when their forward got behind the defenders too quickly. Within five minutes, however, Carolina was pressuring the Armada defense, forcing them to concede three corners. After the third corner in the fifth minute, things went silent as the Armada and RailHawks traded Shawn Nicklaw and Pascal Millien crosses with Nacho Novo runs offside. Everything changed in the 32nd minute when Armada forward Akeil Barrett ripped a shot from the top of the box. Although Carolina goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald knocked it away, Armada midfielder Jaime Castrillón was positioned perfectly, volleying the deflection into the back of the net. Not wanting to be passive in the attack, the Armada (2W-1D-

The field for the 2015 Arena Football League Playoffs is set, with eight teams heading into postseason play. The No. 1 seed in the National Conference belongs to the Pacific Division champion San Jose SaberCats (17-1), who tied the 2014 Cleveland Gladiators’ record for the most regular season wins in AFL history this year.  San Jose will play host to the No. 4-seeded Portland Thunder (5-13), a franchise heading to the playoffs for the second time in as many years.  San Jose leads the overall series 6-0; however, this will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams in postseason play. Kickoff for the matchup is set for 11:00 p.m. ET Friday night on ESPN2. On the other side of the bracket, the East Division champion Philadelphia Soul (15-3), fresh off from tying their best regular season record in franchise history, are set for a rematch with their opponents in Week 20, the Cleveland Gladiators (8-10).  This will be the second consecutive season the Soul and Gladiators mat

By FRED SEELY Jax Golf News The battle among Jacksonville-area clubs will be Aug. 31 at Timuquana. It's the Club Team Championship and it's co-sponsored by the Jacksonville Area GA and the Northern Chapter of the North Florida PGA. Jacksonville G&CC will defend its title in the field, which is anticipated to be about 25 teams. Teams must include a PGA pro employed by the entering club and three amateurs with established handicaps at the club. The top six teams will be in the payout plus there's an additional $500 added to the professionals' skins pool. If the field doesn't reach 25 teams, clubs may enter an extra team but must designate which one is playing for the trophy. Both will be eligible for payouts. Information is available through each club's JAGA directors. In other JAGA news, planning is underway for the 2016 meeting and tournament schedules. The association directors will meet seven times during the year with each meeting at a d

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Alabama Crimson Tide will play the Louisville Cardinals in the Orlando Citrus Bowl during college football’s opening weekend in 2018. The neutral-site season opener is part of an annual series of Orlando Kickoff games. The 2018 matchup is the second announced game in a multi-year agreement between Florida Citrus Sports (FCSports) and ESPN Events, a division  of ESPN, to host major neutral-site, regular-season college football games in the Orlando Citrus Bowl.  The Orlando Citrus Bowl is already home to the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl and Florida Blue Florida Classic games. Neither school has played in the stadium since its near complete reconstruction a year ago. “This game continues a trend of big-time events landing in the brand-new Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium,” said FCSports President Harold Mills. “Alabama and Louisville is a great matchup to start the 2018 season and yet another reason to become a season ticket member of our org

NEW YORK   -First-place Ottawa Fury FC extended its unbeaten streak to 12 games on a Saturday night that saw 24 goals scored across five North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season encounters. Andrew Wiedeman scored goals in the 54th and 64th minutes as Ottawa defeated Indy Eleven, 4-1, before a crowd of 9,866 at Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis. Over the 12-game unbeaten streak, Ottawa has allowed only six goals and has recorded seven shutouts. While Ottawa seemed in control in Indianapolis, other games around the NASL were the scene of breathtaking goalscoring outbursts that dramatically changed the complexion of several games. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers built a three-goal lead on the strength of a pair of goals from Walter Ramirez, but then saw the perhaps aptly named Cardiac Cosmos rally to tie the game when Sebastián Guenzatti scored in second-half injury time. After failing to win in their first three games of the Fall Season, the Cosmos have picked up seven points in

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has hired Ed Mahan to fill the position of assistant coach. Mahan previously served as the Graduate Assistant-   Director of Basketball Operations and Analytics at Marshall University. With the Dolphins, he will be responsible for handling all operational activities for the program as well as developing JU's post players. "I am excited to have Ed join our family," said McCuin. "He is a tireless worker and as loyal as they come. I have had the pleasure of working with Ed at Clemson, and when this position opened up, there was no question that he was the right person for the job." Mahan and Coach McCuin's relationship dates back to 2010 when he served as the head student assistant for the Clemson women's basketball program and she was an assistant coach.  His duties with the Tigers included coordinating travel logistics, delegating responsibilities for g

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Jacksonville Suns (15-26, 44-66) used five home runs as a team to power past the Montgomery Biscuits (21-19, 55-53) 7-2 Friday night from Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium. Suns starter Austin Brice (W, 4-8) worked five innings allowing two runs (both earned) on four hits while walking and striking out three. Jared Mortensen (L, 6-5) in his start for Montgomery generated five and a third frames surrendering five runs (all earned) on six hits while not walking a batter and striking out six. The scoring would begin in the top of the second when David Adams (HR, 4) and Viosergy Rosa (HR, 6) delivered back-to-back home runs to leap Jacksonville ahead 2-0. Moving to the last of the second frame the Biscuits got on the board with a run. A lead off triple off the bat of Dayron Varona was rewarded, when Daniel Robertson arched a RBI sacrifice fly into right to make it a 2-1 ballgame. In the fourth J.T. Riddle (HR, 5) belted a solo home run to lead off the frame and p

NEW YORK  - After a busy Wednesday night that saw the New York Cosmos, Atlanta Silverbacks, and FC Edmonton pick up wins at home, Week 6 of the North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season rolls on this Saturday with a full slate of five matches. The red-hot Silverbacks will go for their fourth straight victory when they host the San Antonio Scorpions at 7:30 p.m. ET. Three other matches will kick off at the same time, as the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and Indy Eleven play host to the Cosmos, Jacksonville Armada FC, and Ottawa Fury FC respectively.  Rounding out Saturday night's fixtures is an 8 p.m. ET clash between Minnesota United FC and FC Edmonton at NSC Stadium in Blaine, Minn. Here is a full weekend preview: Atlanta Silverbacks vs. San Antonio Scorpions Saturday, August 8 | 7:30 p.m. ET Atlanta Silverbacks Park | Atlanta, Ga. Watch | U.S. (National) - ESPN3, Canada (National) - NASL.com, San Antonio (Local) - KSAT MeTV 12.2