MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama soccer team will wrap up a four-game road swing this weekend with trips to Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe.

The Jaguars will take on the Ragin' Cajuns Friday at 7 p.m. and the Warhawks Sunday at 1 p.m.

"We feel good right now; we're full of confidence," said USA head coach Graham Winkworth. "We've played well over the last four games and three of those have been on the road. We feel like we're comfortable playing not only at home but in other people's venues, and we've played some very attractive soccer in these games and started to score some goals too."

South Alabama will bring a 7-2-1 overall record into the weekend, and stands 1-0 in the Sun Belt Conference after a 2-1 win Friday at Troy, thanks to first-half goals from sophomores Chelsea Followwell (Sachse, Texas) and Steffi Hardy (Workington, England).

"It was a huge win, particularly because it was on the road," Winkworth said. "It feels great in that respect. I was really proud of the girls; they battled extremely hard against a very physical team. We came through it and were appreciative to have the Sunday off to recover from some bumps and bruises, and now we're excited to get back on the field again this Friday in Lafayette."

The Jaguars are 12-0 all-time against the Warhawks, with all but one of those victories coming in regulation, and last year's 7-2 win was a series record in both goals scored and margin.

Last year's 4-4 tie with ULL proved to be the only blemish on USA's 8-0-1 league record. The Jags saw an early 2-0 lead turn into a 3-2 deficit, then after two second-half goals turned the game around, the Cajuns struck in the 87th minute to earn a draw.

The series between the two schools stands 7-3-5 in favor of the Jaguars; the five ties are the most against any opponent in school history.

UL Lafayette's Sun Belt record is 1-1 after a 3-1 road loss to league co-leader Georgia State on Sunday. After a 1-2 start, the Cajuns went unbeaten in their next six outings – five wins and a draw – for a 7-4-1 overall record. Annika Schmidt leads the team with six goals and 14 points, and ranks seventh and tied for sixth in points (1.17) and goals (0.50) per match, respectively.

"We respect every opponent; they're a good team," Winkworth said. "We feel like we really didn't show up last year and didn't do ourselves justice. So we're looking forward to putting on a true South Alabama performance on Friday night, and hopefully if we show up, we can take care of business. We matched our opponent well last year, but we didn't feel like we played our best. We know we have to play a lot better to be successful. The last few performances have given the girls confidence and we'll take that into this weekend."

After a three-match win streak to close out the non-conference portion of its schedule, the Warhawks dropped their first two league matches by a combined 4-0 to fall to 6-6-1 overall. Karlea Fehr, who scored against the Jaguars in last season's matchup, has three goals and a team-best 10 points this year, while Mariah Mitchell paces the team with four goals.

"UL Monroe has a very good home record (6-2-1) so they'll be a very difficult team to play on the road," Winkworth noted. "I'm sure they're going to be very organized defensively which means they will be very difficult for us to break down, but we're pretty confident going into the match – really all matches currently the way we're playing. We do focus on preparing for each opponent and we respect each opponent, but right now we're focused on the way we perform, and if we continue to do the little things well, then we should continue to have some positive results."

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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