MOBILE, Ala. –The University of South Alabama soccer team returns to action this weekend when it hosts two Sun Belt Conference matches at The Cage. USA (3-7-1, 1-1) will take on Florida Atlantic (3-6-0, 2-0) Friday at 7 p.m., and Florida International (5-4-1, 2-0) Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
 
"Florida Atlantic and Florida International come in tied for first place in the Sun Belt, so we will have a challenging weekend ahead of us,” USA head coach Mike Varga said. 

“We played well, in part, last weekend and we will train hard this week and try to keep getting better.  The biggest challenge for us is to put full matches together at this point. We can't just play well during parts of the match, we need to sustain a high level of play and I think we are on the verge of doing just that.

“I am confident that we will work hard this weekend and compete. It will be nice to be at home after being on the road for the past couple weekends.”

The Jags enter Friday’s match after going 1-1 last weekend on the road. USA fell to Louisiana Lafayette 2-0 Friday night, but came back to shut out Louisiana Monroe 4-0 Sunday afternoon. The Jags enter Friday’s match against Florida Atlantic with a 1-4-1 all-time record.  FAU defeated USA 2-1 last season at The Cage.

The Owl’s are off to their first 2-0 start in conference play for the first time since joining the SBC in 2006. FAU is 0-2 on the road this season, and are 0-1-1 when playing at The Cage. Jesse Shugg leads the team in goals (4), points (8), shots (24) and shots on goal (13).

On Sunday, USA will take on Florida International who is off to its best start in league play in a decade. The Jags enter Sunday’s match with a 7-6-0 all-time series lead. The Golden Panthers defeated USA 4-1 last season at The Cage.

FIU defeated Arkansas Little Rock, 3-0, Friday, and Arkansas State Sunday, 1-0, in double overtime at home. The Golden Panthers are 1-3-1 this season on the road, and are 3-5 all-time against Jags at The Cage. FIU is led by Chelsea Leiva, who leads the team in goals (4), points (9) and shots (24).

USA freshman Kristyn Thacker leads the Jags in goals (4), points (9) and is tied for second in the league in game-winning goals (2). Goalkeeper Melissa Drish leads the SBC in saves (65) and saves per game (5.91). Freshman Linsey Snavely ranks second in the conference in assists (5) and assists per game (.45)

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

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