Box Score
 
MOBILE, Ala. – Despite creating more chances and enjoying a greater share of possession throughout the match, the University of South Alabama women’s soccer team succumbed to defending-Sun Belt Conference champions FIU, 1-0, on Friday night at The Cage after the Panthers’ Chelsea Leiva fired a shot in the second half that deflected off a Jaguar defender and into the USA net.
 
The Jaguars (5-5-1, 0-1-0 SBC) threatened early and often, outshooting FIU (4-4-1, 1-0-0 SBC) 9-4 in the first interval and forcing Panther keeper Kaitlyn Savage into three of her four total saves. USA junior midfielder Morgan Motes tested the Panther defense first, slicing through multiple defenders in the seventh minute before finding space to rip a shot into the outside netting of FIU’s goal.
 
USA weathered four consecutive Panther corner kicks between minutes 13 and 16, and responded with four unanswered shots, all on target. The scoreline rested at nil-nil at the break, the first time USA held FIU scoreless in the first half since 2007.
 
Four minutes into the restart, Leiva received a long ball near the far corner of USA’s defensive third and attacked the endline before sending a chest-high scorcher into the Jaguar penalty box that ricocheted off the abdomen of a South Alabama defender and straight into USA keeper Melissa Drish’s net, giving FIU the one-goal advantage that would see the match out.
 
“It’s heartbreaking to lose, but I thought we played very well tonight,” said USA head coach Mike Varga. “We outshot them, we created chances and we worked hard. We did all the things we’ve been working on; we just couldn’t find the back of the net. When two good teams play, one has to win, and they got the break tonight.”
 
USA answered with six shots through the remainder of the half, but only two were put on frame. The Jaguar attack persisted until the final whistle was blown, USA’s last chance coming on a corner kick with only seconds remaining. South Alabama’s Drish saved four Panther second-half shots.
 
“I’m proud of our effort,” Varga added. “I think if we play like that from here on out, we’re going to do well in the conference.”
 
The South Alabama defense, led by this past week’s Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week, junior center back Jess Oram, limited Leiva, the SBC’s Preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year, to only two shots in the match, below her season average (3.67/gm). USA has allowed only three goals in its past six matches.
 
“We’re a good defensive team,” commented Varga. “We start with our forwards and defend as a team. I thought we did a good job tonight at keeping them in front of us and taking away some of their dangerous opportunities.”
 
Hernandez led the Jaguars offensively, putting three of her six total shots on frame. Snavely recorded three shots, while Tatum Perry and Morgan Motes added two apiece. Drish tallied five saves in her second start of the year.
 
USA will next host Florida Atlantic on Sunday. FAU is 3-5 this season after handing Troy a 2-0 defeat on Friday. The Owls are led by freshman midfielder Claire Emslie, who recorded a hat trick against the Blazers last Sunday and scored the assurance goal against the Trojans to open conference play. The Jaguars are 2-4-2 all-time versus FAU, both wins occurring in Mobile.
 
Kickoff for Sunday’s match is slated for 1 p.m. All home soccer matches throughout the season will be free to all attendees. The Cage is located on Old Shell Road just east of Stanky Field.
 
 

Match: USA vs. FIU
Date: September 21, 2012
Competition: Regular season, Sun Belt Conference   
Venue: The Cage (Mobile, Ala.)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Attendance: 375
Weather: 85 degrees, clear
Scoring Summary: 1   2   F
USA                         0   0   0
FIU                         0   1   1

FIU – Own Goal 49^th minute

Starting Lineups:
USA : 13-Melissa Drish (GK); 5-Nini Rabsatt-Smith; 10-Clarissa Hernandez; 11-Alli Cochran; 9-Linsey Snavely; 16-Emi Passini; 18-Alyssa Mayer; 20-Tatum Perry; 22-Shelby Owen; 23-Morgan Motes; 24-Jess Oram
Head Coach: Mike Varga

FIU : 00-Kaitlyn Savage (GK); 2-Chelsea Leiva; 3-Paige Covington; 5-Johanna Volz; 6-Marie Egan; 7-Kim Lopez; 9-Ashleigh Shim; 10-Scarlett Montoya; 11-Caroline Hernandez; 16-Nicole DiPerna; 21-Nikki Rios
Head coach: Thomas Chestnutt

Stats Summary: USA / FIU
Shots: 18 / 12
Shots on Goal: 4 / 6
Saves: 5 / 4
Corner Kicks: 7 / 6
Offside: 1 / 3

Misconduct Summary:
Yellow Card – FIU (Celeste Rios) – 73^rd minute
 
Officials:
Referee: Rainier Kelly
Assistant Referee 1: Christoph Schaefer
Assistant Referee 2: Fred Miljak
Alternate Official: Dino Andrianopoulos

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).