MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama senior Rio Hardy scored a brace and Tiina Trutsi had a goal and an assist in the Jaguars' 3-1 victory against Jacksonville State Sunday at The Cage.

USA (1-4) scored twice from the penalty spot to give head coach Richard Moodie his first win at South Alabama.

GAME FACTS
-Trutsi scored her team-best third goal of the season at 6:57 from the penalty spot, putting it in off the left post
-The Jaguars had nine shots before halftime, but hit the target just twice – once each from Trutsi and Hardy –  other than Trutsi's penalty
-Jacksonville State equalized eight minutes into the second half when Danelle Lindo found Danielle Monroe with a long pass over the top and Monroe finished into the left corner
-Hardy wasted little time in putting the Jags back on top, converting from the spot at 55:07 after she was taken down in the penalty area
-JSU got off a pair of shots within three minutes of Hardy's tiebreaking goal, including one on net, but didn't threaten again the rest of the way
-In fact, neither team recorded a shot for almost 25 minutes until Hardy added an insurance goal with 3:46 remaining
-Trutsi chased down a pass in the corner from Ashleigh Pyle, evaded a defender, then found Hardy who headed it home at the edge of the six-yard box
-The Jaguars outshot the Gamecocks 15-6 and hit the target seven times
-Justice Stanford made a pair of saves for the Jaguars, while Caroline Robinson had four stops for the Gamecocks

NOTES
-Hardy's second goal of the day was the team's second during the run of play this season and first since the Florida State game on Aug. 20
-Trutsi has scored in three straight games, all from the penalty spot
-Trutsi is the first USA player to score in three straight games since Chardé Hannah in November 2015
-Four of South Alabama's six goals this season have been PKs
-Trutsi had one career goal coming into the season
-Hardy recorded the fifth brace of her career and first since Sept. 18 vs. Georgia Southern
-USA has won five of the last six meetings with JSU, including three straight
-South Alabama has 16 shots on goal in its last two games after recording 10 in its first three
-Trutsi has hit the target eight times in nine attempts this season
-Hardy moved into fifth place by herself at USA with 29 career goals, and passed Snowy Birgisdottir for sixth place in career points with 70
-Hardy also tied Rebecca Kahn in third place in career game-winning goals with nine

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
Overall thoughts on the game: "We were scrappy. We had to dig deep to win it, but the team found a way to do it. I'm really proud of their efforts and the performance. I thought everyone chipped in. We played with three left backs, and that's always difficult to do, but that's what Sunday football looks like. We had to be better than them today and we were."

On finally getting their first win: "We've competed with some of the top teams in the country. People can look at our record and see we're 1-4, but you have to look deep at the schedule and the teams that we've played and what we had to go through to get where we're at. To still be fighting, to still have the belief, to put in the performance we did on Friday against Alabama… they made today's game look easy and we were in their ear working hard. It's great to get a win because they deserve it, and truthfully, I think we could've had one or two wins up until this point, but we are where we are now. We're still very much in it and we don't want to be reading too much into things now."

On the team finally scoring during the run of play: "If we had to win every game by penalties, I'll take it. We're getting into dangerous positions, and if we don't get fouled, we score anyway, I think in the run of play. I was happy to see us score that third goal. Ashleigh Pyle getting forward, let Tiina get into the channel to cross it to Rio. It's a great goal and it's things that we work on in practice, so it's great to see it during a game."

On Trutsi's role in the third goal: "That was phenomenal, but she wasn't the only one working hard. If you ask her to do something, she will not let you down. We've got great seniors and great upperclassmen, and we just got done telling them that you don't need a captain's band to be a leader on this team. She's one that believes in the team and works hard for the team, and she'll do whatever you need her to do. She's a great leader, a great kid and a great example of what we're about here at South Alabama."

UP NEXT
The Jaguars return home Thursday to take on Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m.

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—