The women’s soccer team will have to stay sharp this weekend as they prepare to face conference opponents Mercer and Kennesaw State at the Ashley Sports Complex. The two teams were ranked No. 1 and 2 in the coaches preseason poll and are looking for conference wins.

The Dolphins (5-5, 2-0 A-Sun) are coming off a very successful weekend that saw them win their first two conference games and extend their winning streak to four games. The four game streak is currently the longest in the A-Sun and the longest for the Dolphins since 2006.

“We’re excited for a very tough weekend,” said head coach Brian Copham. “Both these teams play us tough every year so we’re going to have to be sharp all weekend and hopefully extend this winning streak.”

The Dolphins opened up conference play last weekend and won their first two games for the first time since 2002. JU defeated USC Upstate, 4-3, and East Tennessee State, 2-0.

Both sophomore midfielder Jessica Hurtado and freshman forward Emily Culbreth netted their second goal of the season for the Dolphins in the first half. The second half saw junior forward Jelena Vrcelj twice find the back of the net and JU hold off a late charge from the Spartans.

In Sunday’s match against ETSU, the Dolphins controlled much of the game, outshooting the Buccaneers 20-10. In the first half, freshman midfielder Alex Schulte took a ball from freshman forward Eva Leeper and fired a 25-yard shot into the back of the net for her first goal of the season in the 27th minute. After the halftime break, in the 68th minute, freshman forward Lisa Hensley took a very tidy one touch pass from junior midfielder Liz Fink and beat charging goalie Megan Masch.

The Bears (4-5-1, 0-3 A-Sun), ranked No. 2 in the coaches preseason poll, come into Jacksonville losing their first three conference games of the season. In their last match, Mercer was beaten by Stetson in an unlikely fashion as the Hatters blitzed the Bears with three goals in a two minute, second half span to win the contest on Sunday afternoon at Bear Field, 3-2.

Sara Elliot tops the score sheet for Mercer with five goals and one assist. She is followed closely by Olivia Tucker (three goals) and Lauren Johnson (two goals, one assist). In the net, Jean Worts has posted a 1.38 GAA and has made 30 saves.

The Owls (4-4, 2-1 A-Sun), ranked No. 1 in the preseason coaches poll, have started the A-Sun schedule according to plan, dropping just one match, a 1-0 loss to Florida Gulf Coast. The Owls outshot the Eagles in the first half, 7-6, but it was FGCU who scored the lone goal.

Kennesaw State is led by Alyssa Mahan (three goals, three assists) and Jade Dempster (three goals, two assists). Between the pipes, Staci Pugh has seen a majority of the action, posting a 1.59 GAA and saving 46 shots.

The Dolphins will face the Bears at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by the men’s team taking on Stetson at 8 p.m. Sunday’s contest against the Owls will also be part of a double-header, starting at noon. The men will face Florida Gulf Coast shortly after.