For a core group of six University of South Alabama women's soccer seniors that have appeared in almost every Jaguar match since their freshman season in 2010, winning championships was always the goal, but before this season under the direction of first-year head coach Graham Winkworth, there was always something missing.
 
Belief.
 
"I remember as a freshman, our goal was just to win the (Sun Belt) conference, and it seemed so unlikely," said USA senior center back Shelby Owen. "And that year (in 2010) we didn't even go to the conference tournament. We said it last year, as well, but we knew we didn't have some components. This year, though, I think every single person believed we could do it."
 
Owen described the first meeting of the 2012 club with Winkworth, who joined the program a year ago after former head coach Mike Varga was released after compiling a 121-131-26 overall mark in 14 season at the Jaguar helm.
 
"The first time we started talking about going forward with coach Winkworth, he told us that we were going to play for championships," Owen recollected. "He said that he was told he could rebuild, but he believed we had all the necessary tools to win titles. After that, our whole mindset was changed."
 
Less than half a year after his arrival, Winkworth coached the Jaguars to a 2-0 win over Southeastern Conference opponent LSU in the spring.
 
"After last year's 9-0 defeat at home to Alabama in the fall, I don't think these girls believed they could beat LSU in the spring," Winkworth stated. "Even in a spring game, which isn't that important, it was a stepping stone."
 
Two shutout victories over Montevallo and Spring Hill followed that spring before a humbling 5-1 defeat to Auburn, but Winkworth said the loss only motivated the club to understand its position and realize the amount of work it takes to perform well against quality opponents.
 
That motivation eventually led to a 3-2 season-opening win over Mississippi State at The Cage on Aug. 23, marking USA's first official victory over an SEC opponent since 2001. Eight of USA's 11 starters in that match were remnants from the 2012 season, which included that core group of seniors: Owen, goalkeeper Melissa Drish, midfielders Clarissa Hernandez and Morgan Motes, and defenders Jess Oram and Tatum Perry.
 
"The first thing I noticed about this senior group was that they were talented," said Winkworth. "I felt like their talents needed to be utilized slightly differently on the field to get the best out of them. Obviously, we've brought in some talented young players, and I wanted to make sure this senior group would make the young players feel welcome, because the seniors told me they didn't necessarily feel welcome when they arrived here."
 
Welcomed with open arms was freshman forward Lauren Allison, who scored two goals in the match versus Mississippi State, immediately becoming USA's offensive target and leader in points, goals and assists.
 
"When these seniors saw some of the talent we brought in to help them, they were genuinely kind to them and welcoming," Winkworth said. "We were able to go away for a bit of team bonding, and that was crucial for us. We became a family very quickly."
 
That "family" went on to record a 12-5-2 regular-season record, earning a two-seed to the SBC Tournament, the program's highest seed since 2000.  It marked the third year in a row that USA's seniors had made the league finale, but the program had not recorded a win there since the 2005 season.
 
Hernandez, part of a trio of Jaguars including Oram and Owen that have started every match since 2010, scored both goals in USA's 2-0 defeat of Georgia State in the first round of 2013 SBC Tournament play. Drish was the hero in the semifinals two days later, making a number of crucial stops as USA advanced past Arkansas State, 6-5, in penalty kicks after 110 minutes of scoreless play.
 
Allison provided the Jaguars a 1-0 cushion 20 minutes in the final versus regular-season champion Western Kentucky, and it was USA's defense that bent under WKU's pressure but never broke, holding on to claim the program's first-ever SBC Tournament title, in turn securing South Alabama's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
 
"This is something that we seniors have talked about for the four years that we've been at South Alabama," Drish said. "This year is the first that we, as a team, really thought it could happen. Coach Graham came here and told us we would win championships, and that's the first time our eyes really opened. We jumped on board right then."
 
"We've had some great support on and off the soccer field," Drish added. "So, the biggest thing that's gotten us here is our belief in ourselves and others believing in us."
 
USA will face overall top-seed Florida State on Friday in Tallahassee, Fla., at 6 p.m. CST. Live stats for the match can be found by accessing Jaguar soccer's schedule page. Twitter updates will be provided throughout the contest, and results from the match will be posted to the Jaguar athletics webpage immediately following the event.
 
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).