The Armada FC lost the battle for first place Saturday night at Hodges Stadium.

Ronnie Rodgers, ArmadaFC.com

FINAL STATS

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Armada FC lost a tough battle to the Miami FC and fought to a 1-0 ending Saturday in Jacksonville.

With the top two teams battling in the NASL, it was sure to be a showdown at Hodges Stadium. Over 3,400 fans came out to see the fight for first place.

“We’re going to have to look in our heart because these games are tough for the guys, to play so well and still lose, it hurts,” said head coach Mark Lowry. “But we’ll figure it out, we’ll find a solution and move forward.”

Both Miami (6W-3D-1L) and the Armada FC (4W-4D-2L) put pressure on each other early on, not letting either team get a clean shot on the goal.

Jacksonville had many good attempts to start the first half, but none were able to reach the back of the net to score.

Miami was then able to connect in the 35th minute giving them the lead. Dylan Mares was sent a ball by Blake Smith and hit a header straight past Armada FC’s Patterson-Sewell.

The teams went into halftime with Miami leading by one.

The Armada FC continued to fight hard out of the break earning free kicks and corners, but they were unable to convert those into goals. Derek Gebhard most notably fired four shots from inside of the box but could not find the back of the net.

“We changed our mindset [during the second half]…tactically we didn’t change anything,” said Lowry.

Charles Eloundou came off the bench for Jacksonville and gave the team much-needed energy within moments of him taking the field. In his 18 minutes of play, he fired two shots on target but both were saved by Miami’s Daniel Vega.

With this momentum, Jacksonville fought hard until the end, but they were unable to equalize the score before the clock ran out. Miami won the game 1-0, keeping their top slot in the NASL.

The Jacksonville Armada FC will now hit the road for two away games during the next two weeks. First up is Indy Eleven on June 10. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.

MATCH REPORT

STARTING XI:

JAX (4-2-3-1): Patterson-Sewell, Ryden, Pitchkolan, Jerome, Beckie (Rebellon 81’), Johnson, George, Blake (Glenn 81’), Johnson, Steinberger, Banks (Eloundou 72’), Gebhard

MIA (4-3-3): Vega, Smith Trafford, Bernstein, Freeman, Lahoud, Ryan, Mares (Kcira 73’), Pinho (Martinez 62’), Rennella, Poku

SCORING SUMMARY:

MIA: Mares 35’

DISCIPLINE:

MIA: Trafford (Caution) 24’

MIA: Freeman (Caution) 54’

JAX: Pitchkolan (Caution) 80’

MIA: Martinez (Caution) 87’

ATTENDANCE:

3,403