MOBILE, Ala. – A goal in the 22nd minute was the only offense the University of South Alabama soccer team needed as the Jaguars defeated Troy 1-0 Sunday to win their second straight Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship.

USA earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will await its opponent announced by the NCAA Monday afternoon.

The win also gave South Alabama a new school record for wins in a season with 19. The team is unbeaten in its last 18 games and enters the postseason with a 19-2-1 record.

"My girls were fantastic," USA head coach Graham Winkworth said. "They battled; it wasn't always pretty but sometimes teams have to win with hard work alone. We played some nice stuff, particularly in the first half, moving the ball around, but in the second half, we just had to grind it out. I'm really proud of their efforts; they're phenomenal group and a young group, and it's going to be a nice future for the program.

The Jags had six freshmen and four sophomores in Sunday's starting lineup, with six of those players earning all-conference accolades at the end of the regular season and four named to the all-tournament team.

"If they're good enough, they're old enough, so it doesn't matter what grade they're in," Winkworth said. "We've got good players in every age category. It's a squad effort; they push each other all day long to get better and from one to 23, they're a good group of girls and I couldn't be more proud of them. This year I just sat back and watched their smiles and it's just a great feeling as a coach."

Freshman Chardé Hannah (Tupelo, Miss.) accounted for the only goal of the match at 21:55 when she deflected in a long free kick from sophomore Nikki Shirtcliffe (Burnley, England). Hannah scored three goals in the tournament and was named the most outstanding player. The goal was her 20th of the season, one shy of the school's single-season record of 21 set in 1999.

The Trojans entered Sunday's game on a six-game win streak and Hannah's goal was the first allowed by Troy in almost 605 minutes.

"I want to say what a team Troy are. They're very well coached, we have a lot of respect for them and they have some excellent players," Winkworth said. "(Head coach) Jason (Hamilton) and I are good friends and have gotten to know each other the last year. He's done a phenomenal job and they can be proud of coming from where they were last year and are in the top 100 nationally now. We look forward to the rivalry continuing in the future."

Troy piled on the pressure after halftime, outshooting South Alabama 7-3 in the second half, putting four shots on net, but USA sophomore Sarah Hay (Waxahachie, Texas) stopped all four and made five saves altogether.

Mikki Lewis had three saves for Troy and allowed the one goal.

All-Tournament Team
Renee Nance, Georgia Southern, Defender
Lynsey Curry, Texas State, Forward
Mallory Hadden, Troy, Midfielder
Mikki Lewis, Troy, Goalkeeper
Alissa Jones, Troy, Midfielder
Jasmine Fahrnbauer, Troy, Midfielder
Sarah Hay, South Alabama, Goalkeeper
Nini Rabsatt-Smith, South Alabama, Defender
Rio Hardy, South Alabama, Forward
Nikki Shirtcliffe, South Alabama, defender
Chardé Hannah, South Alabama, forward (Most Outstanding Player)

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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