Box Score

• Hernandez Orchestrates Three of Four Jaguar Goals on Thursday
• Four Different Jaguars Score in League Win
• USA Records Second-Highest Margin of Victory This Season
• South Alabama to Face Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday in Last Road Match of 2012

 
MONROE, La. – University of South Alabama junior midfielder Clarissa Hernandez scored a goal and added two assists to help USA earn an indispensable 4-0 result over Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday, with four different Jaguars finding the net at ULM Soccer Complex.
 
The USA defense, piloted by goalkeeper Melissa Drish’s five saves, recorded its eighth shutout of the season and fourth in Sun Belt Conference play, a co-league-leading mark. The result hoists the Jags (8-8-2, 3-4-1 SBC) from seventh to fifth place in league standings (10 points) alongside Arkansas State, who dropped a 3-1 decision to then-fourth-place FIU in Jonesboro on Thursday.
 
“We knew coming into the match that we had to win it,” said USA head coach Mike Varga. “We were aggressive going forward early, but we dropped off a little and got relaxed later in the first half. We were solid in the second half, though, and did what we had to do to get a full three points.”
 
Indeed, USA wasted no time in testing the Warhawk defense, with sophomore Madison Rodwell collecting a Hernandez shot that hit Alex Holland’s post and scoring her second career goal to give the Jags a 1-0 lead within two minutes of the starting whistle.
 
Freshman Alyssa Mayer entered the match for Rodwell at the 22-minute mark and doubled USA’s advantage five minutes later, also scoring her second career goal, this one off a corner kick to double the visitors’ lead.
 
A ULM foul in the penalty area 20 minutes into the second period put Hernandez at the spot, where she buried her fifth goal of the season for a 3-0 Jaguar lead. In 2011, Hernandez converted a penalty against the Warhawks in Mobile to take the match to overtime, where USA defender Shelby Owen scored a golden goal in the 98^th minute for a Jaguar victory.
 
The Jags would need no such heroics on Thursday, as substitute forward Shawna Trunca capped USA scoring only four minutes from the final sound when Tina Schaar helped along a Hernandez corner kick and Trunca blasted the Jags’ fourth and final goal past the Warhawk defense.
 
“Clarissa is an important part of our team,” Varga said. “She was composed throughout the match, and she helped us to find our midfield and play through the players in that area. It was a total team effort today, and we know when we play well we can match up with anyone.”
 
Hernandez’s four-point performance was a single-game career-best, topping two three-point matches in 2011 victories over Southern and Alabama State. The Pensacola, Fla., native extends her team lead in points to 14, the sum of her five goals and four assists this year. Rodwell is now tied for fourth in club points (7) on two goals and three assists. Mayer and Trunca follow tied for fifth (5 points) with two goals and a helper apiece.
 
USA outshot Louisiana-Monroe 25-12 on the day and held an 11-4 advantage in corner kicks. The shutout was Drish’s fourth of the season in eight starts. The junior also combined with Lauren Arnold to shout UALR, 9-0, on Oct. 5.
 
South Alabama will now look to its final away match of the year, an upcoming Sunday afternoon affair at Louisiana-Lafayette (7-10-1, 1-6-1 SBC) scheduled for 1 p.m. USA is 6-3-3 all-time versus the Ragin’ Cajuns and 4-1-1 in Lafayette. Troy defeated the Ragin’ Cajuns, 1-0, in double-overtime on Thursday to move ahead in points after the two were tied for eighth place and ULL had the advantage based on prior results versus higher-tiered teams.
 
“We know that Louisiana-Lafayette lost today, and their backs will be against the wall when we face them on Sunday,” said Varga. “It will be a big game and we will be prepared to take points away for the return home to Troy.”
 
Results from Sunday's match will be posted to the Jaguar athletics webpage immediately following.

Additional Notes:

• USA is now 10-0 all-time versus ULM and 5-0 in Monroe, La. South Alabama has scored four goals against the Warhawks on four different occasions.
• The Jaguars are now 2-6 on the road in 2012.
• The 4-0 result was USA’s second-highest margin of victory this season, behind a 9-0 dismantling of UALR in early October.
• Hernandez recorded a career-high eight shots on Thursday. Her converted penalty kick was her second this season.
• The halftime lead was USA’s fourth of the year and second in a row, after a first half Hernandez goal last weekend in Murfreesboro put league-leaders Middle Tennessee behind going into the break.

 

Match: USA vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Date: October 18, 2012
Competition: Regular season, Sun Belt Conference   
Venue: ULM Soccer Complex (Monroe, La.)
Kickoff: 3 p.m. CT
Attendance: 104
Weather: 75 degrees, breezy
Scoring Summary: 1   2   F
USA                         2   2   4
ULM                        0   0   0

USA – Madison Rodwell – 2^nd minute
USA – Alyssa Mayer – 28^th minute
USA – Clarissa Hernandez – 67^th minute
USA – Shawna Trunca – 86^th minute

Starting Lineups:
USA : 13-Melissa Drish (GK); 5-Nini Rabsatt-Smith; 9-Linsey Snavely; 10-Clarissa Hernandez; 12-Madison Rodwell; 16-Emi Passini; 20-Tatum Perry; 22-Shelby Owen; 23-Morgan Motes; 24-Jess Oram; 54-Shawn Meach
Head Coach: Mike Varga

ULM : 1-Alex Holland (GK); 4-Bethany Park; 5-Cerene Arsenault; 9-Taylor Bonetti; 10-Antonia Land; 11-Rebecca Calder; 12-Alyssa Wooden; 15-Kylie McIntyre; 16-Karlea Fehr; 23-Kelley O'Dwyer; 25-Kaitlyn Morin
Head coach: Roberto Mazza

Stats Summary: USA / ULM
Shots: 25 / 12
Shots on Goal: 10 / 5
Saves: 5 / 6
Corner Kicks: 11 / 4
Fouls: 13 / 13
Offsides: 2 / 0

Misconduct Summary:
ULM – Alyssa Wooden (Yellow Card) – 44^th minute
ULM – Bethany Park (Yellow Card) – 61^st minute
ULM – Karlea Fehr (Yellow Card) – 83^rd minute
 
Officials:
Referee: Fernando Galven
Assistant Referee 1: Samson Ya’Kubu
Assistant Referee 2: Victor Perez
Alternate Official: Julio Villarruel

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).