MOBILE, Ala. – Three Southeastern Conference opponents will visit The Cage in the 2018 University of South Alabama soccer schedule released Monday.

In addition to hosting Ole Miss, LSU and Mississippi State, the Jaguars will also travel to Alabama and Florida State. In all, USA has 10 home dates on the schedule, with five against Sun Belt Conference opponents.

"This schedule, like every South Alabama schedule, has a lot of Power Five schools on there," USA head coach Richard Moodie said. "We were trying to be smarter this year and not start with two nationally-ranked teams. Our preseason schedule should allow us to give minutes to a lot of new players and gradually move into the regular season.

"It's going to be a tough schedule, but I think we can handle it."

Before the season officially commences, South Alabama will take part in two exhibition matches, starting with Alabama A&M on Aug. 8 in Foley, Ala., then a home friendly against Southeastern Louisiana on Aug. 11.

The regular season starts Aug. 17 at Alabama-Birmingham before a four-match homestand, highlighted by a two-day tournament. Chattanooga visits on Aug. 24, as does Mississippi State two days later.

The following week, South Alabama hosts LSU, Ole Miss and Troy in a four-team, three-day event. On Aug. 30, LSU will take on Troy in the opener, while the Jags face Ole Miss in the nightcap. On Sept. 1, Ole Miss and Troy will play, before South Alabama and LSU on Sunday.

"I think the tournament is great in a lot of ways," Moodie noted. "We market it as a way for teams to get two good games between us and Troy. If you get to bring two good teams in at home, you have a good chance to beat them. If you're going to take on the big boys, it's great to get them at home. They'll bring in a lot of attention, so it's a great opportunity to pack out The Cage, get the community involved and hopefully watch some good soccer."

USA heads out on the road for its next four matches, starting Sept. 6 at Alabama, followed by a trip to Florida State on Sept. 9. Both schools reached the NCAA Tournament last season, with FSU advancing to the Sweet 16.

Sun Belt play opens with a trip to Appalachian State on Sept. 14 and Georgia State on Sept. 16. The Jags play their next four at home, starting with Coastal Carolina (Sept. 21), then Texas State (Sept. 23), Troy (Sept. 28) and Georgia Southern (Sept. 30).

A three-game road swing follows to start the month of October, with matches at Arkansas State (Oct. 4), Little Rock (Oct. 7) and ULM (Oct. 14), before the Jaguars wrap up the regular season at home vs. Louisiana (Oct. 19).

"Our conference is competitive and I don't think it matters who we play, because we're going to get the best out of everybody – that's what we saw last year," Moodie said. "Regardless of where we go or who we play, it's going to be tough. We treat every team with the utmost respect, and we probably prepare for those games more than we do the Power Five schools. We did exceptionally well last year, but a lot of those games were close. There's never an easy game for us."

The Sun Belt Tournament will once again be held at the Foley Sports Complex, Oct. 31 through Nov. 4.

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—