STATESBORO, Ga. – The University of South Alabama soccer team scored four second-half goals in a 4-0 victory over Georgia Southern Friday night at a sloppy Eagle Field.

The Jaguars improve to 4-0 in the Sun Belt Conference and 6-4-1 overall, and are unbeaten in their last seven matches. The Eagles drop to 3-6-2 and 1-3.

GAME FACTS
-Much of the game was played in a massive downpour, and resulted in a flooded pitch
-The shots at halftime were tied at 5-5, but the Jags recorded the last three shots of the half
-It took 28 seconds after intermission for South Alabama to break the tie – freshman Deanna Green fed senior Tiina Trutsi into space in the penalty area, and Trutsi beat GS goalkeeper Lauren Karinshak into the right side of the net
-Sophomore Briana Morris doubled the advantage at 63:21 off a long pass from junior Hannah Godfrey for a 2-0 lead
-Freshman Ashleigh Pyle nearly made it a 3-0 contest, but her attempt from 12 yards out went straight to Karinshak
-Hardy recorded her brace in the final 11:04 of the contest
-Hardy's first came at 78:56 off a pass from junior Audrey Duren, and her second came after her shot deflected off an Eagle defender and looped over Karinshak
-All three of Georgia Southern's shots in the second half came in a 2 ½ minute stretch early in the second half – South Alabama outshot GS 10-3 after halftime
-The shots were 15-8 South Alabama overall and 9-2 in shots on goal
-USA sophomore Justice Stanford made two saves while Karinshak had five stops

NOTES
-Trutsi's goal, her fourth of the season, was her first since the Jacksonville State game on Sept. 3 – she temporarily tied Hardy for the team lead before Hardy's double
-The win tonight is South Alabama's first road victory of the season (1-2-1)
-USA is 4-0 in Sun Belt play for the second time in school history (2015)
-The Jaguars are 33-5-2 in conference games in the last four seasons
-Hardy's brace was her second of the season (Jacksonville State) and sixth of her career
-Hardy passes Tanya Allegretti for fourth place in USA history with 33 career goals, and Brandi Smith for fifth place with 79 career points
-South Alabama leads the series with Georgia Southern 8-1, and has not lost since 1996
-The Jags have outscored the Eagles 15-0 since GS joined the Sun Belt in 2014
-USA has scored first and outshot its opponent eight times in the last nine games
-Stanford has tied Bryna Warnock for sixth in career shutouts with 13

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
On getting the first road win of the year: "It was a tough location to play. I thought Georgia Southern, in the first half, did very well. They were organized and it made it difficult on us. We struggled to get settled in, but when we did, we started creating chances. The heavens opened up and we spent the last 45 minutes with a killer mentality. We said if we were going to be competitors and contenders to win the conference, and consider ourselves one of the top teams, we have to fight through those conditions. The referees were in control of the situation and we just kept going. We were willing to do whatever it took to get the job done."

On the field conditions: "We have rules in place from the conference, and I asked the referee at the start, because the skies were getting gray, if he'd checked the weather. He said we might get a bit of rain. I think it's important that it goes on record that the coaches are meant to talk and decide on a backup plan. About 35 minutes in, it started pouring and the field was saturated and you couldn't kick a ball. But at that point, it's in the referee's hands and he can call it at any given time. The field was waterlogged and hard to play on, but we scored four goals on that field. I think we sent a message, saying no matter what, we're going to play. The referees had the game under control, there were no malicious tackles, but that field didn't make it fair on either team."

On Rio's two goals: "She just came in and worked hard. There was nothing romantic or graceful about the way the ball hit the back of the net; I think Tiina's goal was the best out of them, but Rio came in in the second half and just worked hard. Good things happen when you work hard. The first half she was struggling to get into the game. I think examples have to be made of Tiina and Briana – those were two players that stood out today. They worked hard from the minute they got in until the end. We had to take Rio out to reevaluate then get her back in. Once she got back in, she was so effective. It would be great to have her more consistent week in and week out."

On dominating the second half: "The difference was mentality. We got on them a little bit at halftime and said we have to find a way to get this thing going. We're not doing what we came here to do. We just had to tweak the mentality. We made reference to a fighter versus victim mentality, and I think we came out in the second half with a fighter mentality. Not once did we ask the referee to stop the game or do anything for us. We didn't ask anyone for any favors tonight; we just got on with it. For us to come out and play the way we did, work hard the way we did, and refuse to leave the field until we got the job done, just speaks volumes for the girls. We wanted to play and we wanted to win. Simple."

UP NEXT
The Jaguars finish the weekend on Sunday at Troy with a 1 p.m. start.

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—