MOBILE, Ala. – Casey Wertz's goal with 19:12 left in the game broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Alabama soccer team a 2-1 victory over the University of South Alabama Friday night at The Cage.

The Crimson Tide (4-1) came back from an early 1-0 deficit and outshot the Jaguars (0-4) 9-5 in the second half.

GAME FACTS
-Tiina Trutsi gave USA the lead just 3:34 into the contest, converting from the penalty spot into the lower left corner after Ana Helmert was taken down in the box
-The Tide equalized at 16:53 when Hailey Brohaugh received a short corner and crossed to Celia Jimenez Delgado, who volleyed it into the upper left corner
-USA put seven of their nine first-half shots on net, but was unable to add to their tally
-Ana Helmert and Chelsea Followwell both forced Alabama goalkeeper Kat Stratton to make big saves on shots from distance
-USA outshot UA 9-4 in the first half, but lost the shots battle 9-5 in the second
-On the tiebreaking goal, Abbie Boswell dribbled through the middle of the field to the top of the penalty area and fed Wertz at the corner of the six-yard box, who hit it first-time across the goal mouth, just inside the post
-South Alabama got off two shots in the final 19 minutes, but neither attempt made it on goal
-Boswell had a chance to add an insurance tally with just over three minutes left, but her one-on-one opportunity hit the post

NOTES
-Trutsi's goal was her team-leading second of the season; both goals have come from the penalty spot
-Trutsi's two goals are a new career high
-South Alabama is 0-4 to start a season for the first time since 2006
-Friday marked the first time the Jaguars have scored penalties in back-to-back games since at least 2008
-The Jaguars' nine shots on goal are a new season high; they had 10 total coming into the game
-The Tide have won six in a row in the series dating back to 1998
-South Alabama has allowed multiple goals in four straight games for the first time since 2010
-USA's .643 shot-on-goal percentage is the program's highest since putting 71.4 percent of its shots on goal vs. Belmont on Aug. 28, 2016

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
Overall thoughts on the game: "It's the same reaction as the other three games. I'm disappointed for the girls. I'm not disappointed in how they played, just disappointed for them. We're chapping at the door with these top teams and you want to see us get across the finish line. It's a shame because it was a great performance. Two little mistakes and you give them a few chances and they punished us. I thought on the night overall, we were the better team."

On his team's offensive performance: "As a coach, I've always had an attack-minded philosophy. In the Auburn and Florida State games, we maybe gave them a little too much respect and sat off them. Tonight, we said let's go for it. Let's just jump down their throat. I thought we created a lot of havoc in the first 10 minutes and they didn't know how to answer it. If that goal comes a bit later for us, it might have helped the game, but I still thought we were chapping at the door. We had a couple of good chances that, if we put them in, it's a different game."

On Alabama's game-winning goal: "It's one of those ones where, Steffi Hardy came out with an injury, Ashleigh Pyle came out because we were going to use her somewhere else and that left side was new. That's tough to come into a game with this intensity and try to catch up. That's hard to do. New legs, not sure what the tempo was, being thrown into the deep end… It's not one individual's fault for that goal. Good teams punish you and they punished us."

UP NEXT
The Jaguars host Jacksonville State on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., a game preceded by Alabama vs. Troy at noon.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Upper 90 Club, the soccer specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All gifts to the Upper 90 Club go directly to support the South Alabama soccer program.  For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/upper90

—USA—