Box Score

Sun Belt Conference Championships Central
 
 
MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama junior forward Linsey Snavely sliced Middle Tennessee’s two-goal lead in half 13 minutes from the final whistle, but the Jaguars could not find an equalizer, as the hosts of the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Championships went down to the Blue Raiders in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, 2-1.
 
Down two goals and only minutes from the final whistle, Snavely broke free into the heart of the Blue Raider defense when Clarissa Hernandez’s pass split the MTSU back line and the Viginian forward found space for a touch and a flick over the visiting keeper's left shoulder, igniting the home crowd.
 
Middle Tennessee’s defense clamped down, however, keeping USA from producing another shot on goal to see the match out.

“Going down two goals made it tough for us,” said USA head coach Mike Varga. “The first goal was a great shot; you have to take your hat off for that finish. We turned the ball over and gave them an open chance on the second goal, but we kept fighting.
 
“I’m proud of the girls for continuing to fight back and getting that goal back, but it’s disappointing to end the season like this.”

The second-seeded Blue Raiders advance to face FIU in a semifinal nightcap on Friday at 7 p.m.
 
MTSU (14-4-1, 9-1-1 SBC) opened the match with seven unanswered shots and three corner kicks before freshman Amalie Anderdal emphatically put the Blue Raiders on the board with a 40-yard blast that USA keeper Lauren Arnold couldn’t put a palm to.
 
Whitney Jorgenson doubled the Blue Raider advantage in the 63^rd minute, nipping away a USA pass in the home team’s defensive third and ripping a shot into the top shelf.

The loss against Middle Tennessee is the second this season for the Jaguars, as USA fell to the Blue Raiders by a similar scoreline in Murfreesboro on Oct. 14. Heading into the match, MTSU was ranked third in the nation in goal-per-game (3.12).
 
SBC Championship action will resume on Friday with top-seed North Texas taking on four-seed Western Kentucky at 4 p.m. at The Cage. Both teams recorded 1-0 victories over Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State, respectively, on Wednesday. FIU defeated Troy 2-0 to advance.
 
All games can be watched live on www.sunbeltsports.org. The web stream for the entire tournament is provided free of charge. Live stats can be found via the link above. The Cage is located on Old Shell Road just east of Stanky Field.
 
2012 Sun Belt Conference Soccer Tournament Schedule of Events
Wednesday, October 31
MATCH 1 - 10 a.m. CT – No. 1 North Texas 1, No. 8 Florida Atlantic 0
MATCH 2 - 1 p.m. CT – No. 4 Western Kentucky 1, No. 5 Arkansas State 0
MATCH 3 - 4 p.m. CT – No. 3 FIU 2, No. 6 Troy 0
MATCH 4 - 7 p.m. CT – No. 2 Middle Tennessee 2, No. 7 South Alabama 1*

Friday, November 2
MATCH 5 - 4 p.m. CT – No. 1 North Texas vs. No. 4 WKU
MATCH 6 - 7 p.m. CT – No. 2 Middle Tennessee vs. No. 3 FIU

Championship Sunday, November 4
MATCH 7 - 1 p.m. CT - Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner

* - South Alabama, as tournament host, reserved the right to choose the game time of their first-round game only and the Jaguars chose to play at 7 p.m.
 
 

Match: USA vs. Middle Tennessee
Date: October 31, 2012
Competition: Sun Belt Conference Quarterfinals – Match 4
Venue: The Cage (Mobile, Ala.)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Attendance: 439
Weather: 64 degrees, windy
Scoring Summary:  1   2    F
USA                         0   1    1
MTSU                     1   1    2

MTSU – Amalie Anderdal – 14^th minute
MTSU – Whitney Jorgenson – 63^rd minute
USA – Linsey Snavely (Hernandez, Clarissa) – 77^th minute

Starting Lineups:
USA : 1-Lauren Arnold (GK); 5-Nini Rabsatt-Smith; 8-Tina Schaar; 9-Linsey Snavely; 10-Clarissa Hernandez; 11-Alli Cochran; 16-Emi Passini; 22-Shelby Owen; 23-Morgan Motes; 24-Jess Oram; Shawn Meach
Head Coach: Mike Varga

MTSU : 00-Lauren Gilchrist (GK); 3-Emily Jorgenson; 8-Tori Hawkins; 9-Amalie Anderdal; 10-Kate Loye; 11-Regina Thomas; 12-Paige Goeglein; 13-Allison Stallard; 15-Whitney Jorgenson; 16-Emily Hartshorn; 24-Charity Blair
Head coach: Aston Rhoden

Stats Summary: USA / MTSU
Shots: 8 / 22
Shots on Goal: 2 / 9
Saves: 7 / 1
Corner Kicks: 4 / 4
Offsides: 3 / 2

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Morgan Motes – Yellow Card – 57^th minute
 
Officials:
Referee: Fernando Galvan
Assistant Referee 1: Kyle Borne
Assistant Referee 2: Jack Damrill
Alternate Official: Jonathan Glover

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).