JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Troy soccer fell to Jacksonville State in a back-and-forth affair on Sunday evening, 4-3.
After conceding the first two goals, the Trojans rallied to tie the match at three apiece in the second half before Michelle Hochstadt reclaimed the lead for the Gamecocks with a goal in the 85th minute.
Jacksonville State’s Emma Reeder opened the scoring in the fifth minute, sending a shot from the left edge of the box off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net. The goal was the quickest scored by either team in a Troy match this season.
It took the Gamecocks just five minutes to find another goal, this time coming off a corner kick. The ball fell to Jax State’s Sunny Ferren, whose initial shot was blocked by Troy’s Brooke Slater. However, the ball bounced right back to Ferren, who fired it into the back of the net.
Troy’s first offensive chance ended in a goal, as an 18th-minute free kick from Brooke Slater bounced off a Gamecock and fell to Imani Hamilton, who muscled in a shot underneath two Jax State defenders. The goal, Hamilton’s first career goal, made the score 2-1 Jax State.
It was not long before the Gamecocks scored their third goal of the first half, as Evie Underhill perfectly placed a bouncing volley into the top-right corner of the goal just three minutes later.
Troy’s second goal of the day came in the 24th minute. Following a scrum on the edge of the box, the ball fell to first-year Mallorie Springs, who used a left-footed strike to fire the ball into the right corner for the first goal of her collegiate career.
Rebecca Sierra-Burciaga nearly gave Jacksonville State its fourth goal of the first half on two occasions, dribbling down the field before turning and firing toward goal. Moments later, she put a curling ball toward the far post, but Richards was there yet again. The fifth-year keeper made three first-half saves, and the scoreline remained 3-2 at the break.
The second half was the opposite of the first, as goals became hard to come by. Jax State took six shots within the first 15 minutes of the second half; however, none found the target.
That changed in the 70th minute, as Troy tied the game for the first time since the fifth minute when Alaina Uncapher scored her first goal of the season. Brooke Slater assisted on the goal, delivering a brilliant ball from a set piece.
Brooke Becker had a chance in the 79th minute, as her second shot of the season narrowly missed the frame above the crossbar.
The Gamecocks’ advantage in second-half shots finally paid off in the 85th minute, as a corner kick from Hochstadt found the back of the net for a game-winning Olympico goal.
One final chance for the Trojans came in the closing seconds of the match, as a ball from midfield delivered by Hamilton narrowly missed the outstretched boot of Isabella Hartfofelis. The final whistle then blew, giving Jacksonville State the 4-3 win.
Quotable – Head Coach Jake Wyman
“Jax State wanted it more in every phase. They were decisive and we got what we deserved in the end.”
Notables
Third-year Imani Hamilton and first-year Mallorie Springs scored their first career goals in the first half.
Alaina Uncapher’s second-half goal was the third of her career. Brooke Slater assisted on the goal, marking the fourth assist of her career.
The seven goals between the two teams tied mark for most goals in a match in the all-time series between the two teams. The Trojans fell 7-0 to the Gamecocks on Oct. 12, 1997.
The five goals scored in the first half were the most in a half in a Troy match since Oct. 2, 2025, when the Trojans and Old Dominion combined for five goals in the second half, with Troy holding a 3-2 advantage. It was the most first-half goals in a Troy match since the Trojans scored five in the opening 45 minutes of a 9-0 win at Jackson State on Aug. 27, 2017.
Troy is now 7-12-2 all-time against Jacksonville State.
Up Next
Troy begins a three-match homestand on Friday, Sept. 4, hosting Kennesaw State at the Troy Soccer Complex with kickoff set for 5 p.m. and streaming on ESPN+.