Game Notes

Live Stats vs. Mississippi State (Friday, Aug. 23, 2013)

MOBILE, Ala. – The Graham Winkworth Era of South Alabama women's soccer is underway, and the first-year head coach will lead his Jaguars into a season-opening, home-and-away weekend beginning with Mississippi State on Friday at 7 p.m.
 
Friday's match will take place at The Cage, newly renovated with a grandstand that doubles fan occupancy to over 1,000 available seats. USA Athletic Marketing will host a student cookout prior to the match, which will also serve as the Student Rewards Kickoff Event.
 
The first 100 fans through the gate will receive Jaguar thunder sticks, and one lucky USA student will be selected to attempt a penalty kick versus mascot South Paw at halftime. The Cage is located on Old Shell Road, just east of Stanky Field. All home matches throughout the season will be free to all attendees.
 
USA will then travel to Nicholls State on Sunday for a 1 p.m. kickoff, the first stop of a five-game road swing that sees the club travel to Troy, Ala., for the Trojan Classic, Southern Miss and UAB before a September 10 home contest against Southern.
 
Mississippi State leads the all-time series with USA 6-2, while the Jaguars hold a 6-0 all-time advantage over Nicholls State.
 
The Jaguars, now under the direction of Winkworth, who arrived in Mobile last November after 10 years of service at North Alabama, return all starters and 21 letterwinners from a 2012 squad that finished 8-10-3, landing seventh in Sun Belt Conference regular-season standings and bowing out of the league tournament, held in Mobile for the fifth time, to Middle Tennessee in quarterfinal play.
 
The club was 3-5-2 in SBC play, 5-4-2 at home, 2-6-1 on the road and 1-2-3 in overtime.
 
Eleven newcomers highlight the 2013 roster, peppered with individuals that will battle the club's veterans for playing time. The club began preseason training two weeks ago and defeated Spring Hill, 2-1, in its exhibition last Thursday.
 
"I am very excited to get started with our season this weekend," Winkworth said. "The team is taking shape now, and we are closer to finding not only a starting 11, but a group that can be used on a regular basis in our rotation."
 
Winkworth, who brings to the USA helm a 111-81-8 career head coaching record, spoke of the difficulties in scheduling in such a short time frame after taking over last year for former Jaguar head coach Mike Varga, who spent 14 seasons in charge.
 
"When I inherited the 2013 schedule, a couple of teams pulled out from playing us," Winkworth explained. "This meant that we were left starting the season with five consecutive away games. I felt that it was important for us to try and squeeze a home game in there somewhere so that our fans had the opportunity to become familiar with the team. Our fans are very important to us
 
"We were very fortunate that Coach (Aaron) Gordon at Mississippi State not only agreed to play us at home in 2013, but also invited us to return the game next year," Winkworth said. "I wanted to open my time here at South with a top opponent. Mississippi State certainly fit that description. They are a team that beat us in second gear last year and, under their new coach, I am sure they will be more than ready for their new season."
 
The Bulldogs return 12 letterwinners, six starters and welcome 10 newcomers. The club was 9-10-1 last season, finishing seventh in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference. Elisabeth Sullivan returns to lead MSU after scoring 12 goals last year and delivering four assists for a team-leading 28 points.
 
Nicholls State, which finished 5-13 last season and 0-8 in Southland Conference play, returns 17 letterwinners, 10 starters and welcomes 11 newcomers. In its season opener last year, South Alabama defeated the Colonels, 2-1, in Mobile with goals from Clarissa Hernandez and Tatum Perry.
 
"Another issue I want to try and address quickly with this squad is their performances last year on the road and their performances in the second game of each weekend," added Winkworth. "I was fortunate enough that Nicholls State agreed to continue playing us and was willing to host us. They are a strong program that returns most of their starters from last season. We managed to beat them last year, but, after watching the film and looking at the statistics from the game, in which they outshot us, it was a closely-contested match."
 
Two of three conference seats vacated by North Texas, FIU and Middle Tennessee (all C-USA now) have been replaced by Georgia State (formerly CAA) and Texas State (formerly WAC) this season. USA is 2-2-1 all-time versus the former after tying the Panthers, 1-1, in the schools' last contest, which took place in September 2010. ­The Jaguars and Bobcats will face one another for the first time on September 27 this year.
 
"I am not sure I could have picked a much more difficult way to start my time here at South," Winkworth said. "This, though, is the way I want it here as we aim to change the mentality and start looking up the conference standings rather than over our shoulders. It will not be easy at all. However, after having more time now to get to know these young ladies, I could not be more fortunate and blessed to have such great individuals to work with. They have my full confidence, and, if they continue to run for me and show the type of attitude on match day as they do each day in training, I am very confident we will have a successful year.
 
"Please come and support your Jaguar soccer team this year," he concluded.
 
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).