Free Jacks Efforts Fall Short To Sharks In Torrid Conditions In Miami 13-15

By: Rachel Maccarrone

The New England Free Jacks were coming off a hard-fought win last week in San Diego, and met a Miami club on Saturday seeking revenge for an early-season thumping. The Free Jacks fought for the full 80 minutes, but the Sharks pulled out a 15-13 win with a try on the final play. 

While both clubs were forced to battle the Florida heat, the match between the Free Jacks and the Miami Sharks started with a bang as the Free Jacks’ flanker, Seta Baker, dove over the try line at the three-minute mark, with Jayson Potroz successfully converting the kick for an early 7-0 Free Jacks lead.

Miami got on the board 7-3 with a Santiago Videla penalty kick at 24 minutes. The momentum continued in Miami’s favor in the 26th minute when the Sharks converted a New England turnover into a Roelof Smit try. The conversion attempt was no good, but Miami took an 8-7 lead into halftime. 

Over the final 40 minutes, the match between the Free Jacks and the Miami Sharks became a true physical battle as yellow cards equal points for much of the second half. At the 42-minute mark, Potroz converted a penalty kick, successfully adding three points to the Free Jacks’ tally, making the score 10-8 in favor of the Free Jacks.

In the 56th minute, Miami’s Avery Oitomen received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle. Two minutes later, the Free Jacks’ Kyle Baillie returned the favor with a yellow card. Miami received a second yellow card at the 68-minute mark for Manuel Ardao.

With the man advantage, a Potroz penalty kick in the 77th minute brought the score to Free Jacks 13-8. The Free Jacks seemed set to walk off with a well-earned road win, but just as full time ended, Miami’s Tomás Casares scored under the posts for an automatic seven points, securing a win for Miami with a final score of Free Jacks 13, Miami Sharks 15.

Despite suffering the first road loss of the season, the Free Jacks (7-4-0) remain atop the Eastern Conference with 35 points. New England returns home next Sunday to host the Dallas Jackals at 2 p.m. E.T. in Quincy. The match will air on NBC Sports Boston.