MONTVERDE, Fla. – Joshua Castellanos and Conor Doyle scored second half goals to give the Jacksonville Armada a 2-0 win over Sima Aguilas in a first round match in the U.S. Open Cup.
After a scoreless first half that saw the Armada dominate the run of play, Jacksonville found the net first in the 53rd minute when left back Michael Melvin's cross into the box deflected of a Sima defender and fell to the foot of Castellanos, a former UNF star, who drove a low rocket past the goal keeper for the first goal of the match.
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The Armada would double the advantage in the 77th minute when Connor Doyle picked up a loose ball deep in Aguilas territory, dribbled to the middle of the pitch and unleashed a low, rising blast from outside of the penalty area. The bal cut away from the Sima keeper and found the corner of the net to give the Armada a 2-0 lead.
Jacksonville will play on the road at Boca Raton Saturday in NPSL play, then will return to face their former NASL rivals, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who now play in the USL. The match will be held on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. at Southern Oak Stadium on the campus of Jacksonville University.