Date: 8/14
Positions: Defender

Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Steffi Hardy, Sr. (19 GP, 11 GS, 2 G, 0 A, 4 pts), Hannah Godfrey, Jr. (22 GP, 21 GS, 2 G, 1 A, 5 pts); Gabrielle Craig, So. (6 GP, 0 GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 pts) Maggie Pierce, So. (1 GP, 0 GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 pts); Audrey Duren, Jr. (5 GP, 0 GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 pts)

Letterwinners lost (Key stats): Jemma Purfield, So. (22 GP, 22 GS, 11 G, 7 A, 29 pts), Nikki Shirtcliffe, Sr. (16 GP, 1 GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 pts), Emily Farrell, Sr. (12 GP, 4 GS, 0 G, 0 A, 0 pts); Alexis Jordan, Fr. (20 GP, 19 GS, 0 G, 6 A, 6 pts); Jana Loeber, Fr. (21 GP, 19 GS, 0 G, 2 A, 2 pts)

Newcomers (Yr., Previous school): Georgia Bostic (Fr., Warner Robins, Ga./Houston County HS), Sonja Reichel (Fr., Nordkirchen, Germany/Bad Axe [Mich.] HS); Anita Agustsdottir (Fr., Akranes, Iceland/Fjölbrautaskóli Vesturlands); Deanna Green (Fr., Madison, Miss./Brandon HS); Hannah Moody (Fr., Semmes, Ala./Mary G. Montgomery HS); Ashleigh Pyle (Fr., Madison, Ala./Bob Jones HS)

Miscellaneous Notes
- South Alabama has won the last three Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year awards (Nini Rabsatt-Smith, Hardy, Purfield)
- Purfield, who led the team in goals, assists and points, left the program to transfer to Arizona State; she ranks sixth in school history in career assists (18) in just two seasons
- The backline was hardest hit by departures, with three starters not returning, including Jordan, who was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
- Godfrey earned Second Team all-Sun Belt honors last season after starting 21 times in 22 appearances
- Hardy missed several games due to injury last season, but the 2015 SBC Defender of the Year is slated to return to a starting role
- USA tied the school record for most shutouts in a season with 12, including a school-record seven straight in September

Richard Moodie
- On improvements from first scrimmage to second one: "From the back four, I think we've yet to actually see every possibility that we have. We've got several possibilities that we haven't seen just due to injuries. Right now we have a lot of freshmen playing. We've seen some leadership developments, for instance Hannah Godfrey has been a constant factor and she's had to find a way to lead and communicate with new a younger players around her. The back four collectively have grown. Playing out of the back and how we attack as a team has definitely improved. We'd like to have seen us not concede as many goals as we did, but it gives us an opportunity to grow as a team and use those moments to learn."
- On how the replacements for the two lost starters have fared: "They're different than what we had last year. They're different in the sense that they're just as attacking minded and forward thinking, but they'll do so in different ways. Maybe we're not as gung ho in getting up the line, but we've got the tactical ability to maybe tuck inside and be used in different ways. We've had different variations of our back four in two different games, but they get forward just as much. One of them almost had an assist against Ole Miss and we've had opportunities for them to get forward and create havoc. We look good at that position and have depth, but we'll play differently than we had in years gone by. The kids that have stepped in there have done a fantastic job."
- On why Godfrey is so important to the defense: "When you look at the relationship between a back four and a goalkeeper, you want players that know each other and can trust each other. Hannah is just one of the faces that can play back there. It's been unfortunate with Steffi Hardy being injured and she could come back into the lineup, but having Hannah there has been huge. It helps with the goalkeeping – you have to know each other and have a relationship. Hannah has helped that consistency within the back four and has taken the younger players under her wing and helped them grow. Hannah grows as a player every day. She was voted preseason all-conference and you have to have that respect to get that kind of accolade, but she takes that award with a pinch of salt and she's going to come in each day and ask questions and try to be better. When you see a senior figure being humble and working hard, that sends a good message to the younger kids."

Hannah Godfrey
- On being a team captain as a junior: "It's an honor. I've always tried to be a leader and have that character within the team. I was surprised, but really happy and it came from my teammates too. It's always nice to be chosen by your teammates. I've always seen myself as a leader on the field and be the one that communicates and directs people. I want to be the coordinator on the field and help people out. When you're given the captaincy, it's a step up to know that no matter what, you have to be the role model. Nothing has really changed in terms of my mindset, but it gave me a little more confidence."
- On what she did before her breakout sophomore season: "After my freshman year, I realized I wasn't achieving everything I wanted to achieve. I wasn't the player that I knew I was coming in to South Alabama. I made a lot of changes after my freshman year: I spent all summer working out, I changed my diet and everything that I could control in order to come back in shape. I needed to make sure I was fully fit to be a contender to play, and thank God, I was."
- On the process of replacing two defensive starters: "They were a big loss, but we do feel like we have players that have come in and done really well so far. They have some learning to do, but that comes from being thrown into the deep end. With more practice and working together as a new backline, I think we'll do really well."

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