Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama soccer team's second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament will bring a familiar opponent: No. 1 seed Florida State. The Jaguars travel to Tallahassee, Fla. Friday for a first-round matchup.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST at the Seminole Soccer Complex. Click here for ticket information.

"We're absolutely buzzing," USA head coach Graham Winkworth said. "I'm not sure many people believed when my staff and I arrived that we could go from 217 (in the RPI) in the nation to a team that's being considered for at-large bids now. It's a huge accomplishment for the girls and I'm really excited.

"One of the things that gets me most excited is that we've done it with two different squads. We inherited a good bunch of girls that just needed to be shown a few things and they worked extremely hard to get to the NCAA Tournament. In the meantime we had to recruit a new team as well, with a few of the older girls remaining. We managed to repeat and take another step forward. It's a great feeling and we're excited to have another crack at one of the best, if not the best, team in the nation."

South Alabama and Florida State (18-1-1) will meet for the second consecutive season in the NCAA Tournament. FSU prevailed 5-0 last season en route to a national runner-up finish.

"It's more of an experience thing; last year we went in there starry-eyed," Winkworth said. "We need to show respect to our opponents, but at the same time, we need to play without fear. We need to understand that we're here because we've earned it. We deserve to be here and I'm really proud of the girls. What an opportunity to play one of the best teams in the country."

The series between the two schools dates back to 1996; USA trails 6-0. Four of the six meetings have been in Tallahassee.

Both teams bring impressive unbeaten streaks into Friday's contest. The Jags haven't lost in 18 games dating back to an Aug. 31 loss to Kennesaw State, and the Noles are undefeated in their last 15 games since a 2-1 loss to No. 8 Florida on Sept. 5.

Florida State defeated a pair of ranked teams in No. 10 Notre Dame (3-1) and No. 4 Virginia (1-0) to claim the ACC title. The Seminoles went through conference play with a 9-0-1 record and are looking to win their first national crown.

Seven players earned All-ACC honors, and FSU claimed the offensive player of the year (Dagny Brynjarsdottir), the defensive player of the year (Kristin Grubka) and the coach of the year (Mark Krikorian).

"They're very similar to last year," Winkworth noted. "They've returned most of those players from last year. They lost a couple of key ones, but they've been replaced with excellent players. To be honest, they have so many talented players, they can only play 11 at one time, so it's OK for them to have 16 or 17 top stars. We understand they have a lot of threats, not only in open play, but also from set pieces too. We have to do our very best to prepare for those as well as we can."

The Jaguars earned the Sun Belt Conference's automatic berth after defeating Troy 1-0 in the final, behind a goal from the tournament's most outstanding player, freshman Chardé Hannah (Tupelo, Miss.). USA outscored three opponents 6-1 in claiming its second SBC Tournament title, with Hannah and freshman Rio Hardy (Workington, England) accounting for each goal.

Hardy and Hannah joined three teammates on the all-tournament team.

Hannah's goal vs. Troy was her 20th of the season, one shy of the school record. She currently has 47 points which is also second in the school record books. Both totals are the most by a Jaguar player since joining the Sun Belt in 2000.

"We've gone quite a few games without a defeat now and that's going to breed confidence through the team," Winkworth said. "During that period we've played some very good opponents, including a much-improved Sun Belt Conference. The conference ranking nationally is much higher than this time last year. For us to beat teams of that caliber before the NCAA Tournament is a big momentum builder for us, as well as a confidence boost. We've done it with such a young team as well; the future of this program is very bright."

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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