MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama soccer team will try to maintain its hold on first place in the Sun Belt Conference when it hosts Georgia Southern and Georgia State this weekend at The Cage.

The Jaguars, currently leading the league with 13 points, will entertain the Eagles (9-3-1, 4-1), tied for second with 12 points, Friday at 7 p.m. Sunday's 1 p.m. clash is against the Panthers (5-6-4, 3-1-1), who are in fourth with 10 points.

Before Sunday's match, South Alabama will recognize its two seniors, Shawn Meach (Pensacola, Fla.) and Emi Passini (Middleton, Wis.).

South Alabama is coming off two overtime victories at Texas State and Appalachian State thanks to golden goals from freshman Chardé Hannah (Tupelo, Miss.) and junior Nini Rabsatt-Smith (Montgomery, Ala.).

"I'm really happy with the team; I don't think too many teams will go to Texas State and Appalachian State in a weekend and pick up six points," USA head coach Graham Winkworth said. "Those are two very tough places to play for many different reasons. So I'm happy with the team that we've shown that we can put two performances together in different ways. 

"However, that's last weekend and we've got two very tough home games coming up against the Georgia schools. We're excited to get back on our home field but Georgia Southern and Georgia State are two very good opponents."

A win or tie on Friday will set a new school record for consecutive games without a loss. The Jags have gone 11 straight outings since their 2-1 defeat against Kennesaw State on Aug. 31.

The undefeated streak has put the team at the top of the Sun Belt standings, despite losing 10 seniors from last year's SBC Tournament champions and having 12 freshmen on the roster, with 11 starting at least one match.

"Obviously winning a championship is going to be our aim going into every season; I don't care if we have 27 freshmen, it wouldn't matter to me," Winkworth stated. "Our goal every year is to challenge for championships because that's what we want to do as coaches and players, and it's expected by our athletic director and rightly so. We did want to see us challenging for a championship at the business end of the season, but right now we're happy that we've solidified our place in the conference tournament against very good opponents. We do want to continue to make this a very difficult place to play and challenge for a regular-season championship."

After allowing six goals in a win and a tie vs. Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette respectively, the USA defense gave up just one in 192 minutes vs. Texas State and App State. The dip in form was uncharacteristic for a squad that had allowed no more than two goals in back-to-back games all season.

Sophomore Sarah Hay (Waxahachie, Texas) posted a goals against average of 0.47 last weekend and Rabsatt-Smith was named the conference's defender of the week. 

"We took an extra bit of pride in the little things but we still have to continue to work on some things," Winkworth said. "We'll be focusing on the little things more. I'm happy with our communication and our shape. We went back to basics in practice and I think it had a positive effect on what was a tough weekend."

Friday's opponent won its first four league games before dropping a 2-0 decision at Georgia State. The Sun Belt newcomer has not scored or allowed more than three goals this year, but Nora El-Shami is fourth in the league with 0.46 assists per game and Melinda Lukas ranks in a tie for second in the conference with four match-winning goals.

"Georgia Southern has been flying," Winkworth noted. "They've beaten some very good programs like Indiana. They're a good team and very well coached. They're a team that tries to play soccer the right way so it will be a good, attractive game for the fans that are there Friday."

Georgia State has rebounded from an 0-4-2 start to earn a point in seven of its last nine games. The Panthers have won back-to-back outings for the first time all season with victories over Arkansas State and Georgia Southern by a combined score of 7-2.

"We saw them twice last year and both times I thought we were fortunate to come away with a win," Winkworth said. "They're a very good and organized team. They don't concede many goals and are difficult to break down. They have some very dangerous individual players as well so it will be a tough challenge. They got a positive result against Georgia Southern last weekend. 

"It will be a very challenging weekend and hopefully we can take one weekend at a time, have a professional attitude and continue the run we've been on."

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).

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