MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama soccer team will take its seven-match win streak into a two-week home swing, starting Friday evening against in-state rival Troy.

Friday's match against the Trojans will start at 7 p.m. at The Cage. On Sunday, the Jags will take on Louisiana-Lafayette at 1 p.m.

The soccer team will be "Lacing Up" for Friday's match, and will wear gold laces in their cleats for pediatric cancer awareness. Laces can be purchased for $5 in the USA bookstore with 4 out of every $5 going to USA Children's & Women's Hospital in support of a child cancer patient and family.

The program's seven-match unbeaten run has given them a 9-2-1 record overall and a 4-0 mark in the league.

The Cage will be a welcome sight for the Jaguars, who have only played once on their home field since a 1-0 defeat of No. 1 Florida State a month ago. That one time was a 5-0 win over Georgia Southern, the largest victory of the season.

"I'm feeling good about being back home," USA head coach Graham Winkworth said. "Winning away is one of the most difficult things to do in our league, so for us to pick up three straight shutouts on the road was massive. It puts us in a very strong position before we play in front of our home fans in the next four matches."

All seven wins in South Alabama's streak have been via shutout, lowering the team's goals against average to 0.399, which ranks fifth in Division I.

Freshman Justice Stanford (The Colony, Texas) currently holds a 0.125 goals against average and a .968 save percentage, and leads the nation in both categories. Her seven shutouts – all in the last seven games – is ninth in the country.

The defense will be tested this weekend as UL Lafayette leads the conference in goals per game (2.23), while Troy ranks tied for sixth (1.21).

"We definitely will be tested," Winkworth said. "I think both coaches are likely to come here and play straight up, which obviously I respect a lot. I think they both have very good teams will high-powered attacking players. It will be a huge challenge and a different challenge than what we've faced in the last few weeks. That will keep us on our toes and we're looking forward to it."

Troy, picked second in the SBC's preseason poll, have just one win in its last nine games, and enter the weekend with a 5-6-3 overall record, and a 1-2-2 mark in league play. The Trojans have gone into overtime six times in the last seven games, including four consecutive double-overtime contests, with just three points to show for it.

USA has won the last three games in the series, all by a goal apiece.

"They're a very good team," Winkworth stated. "You don't go to Florida State on the road and take them to overtime unless you're a good team. I think you can't read too much into their current league position; they will be in the conference tournament at the end of the season and challenging at the right end of the table once they finish their conference games.

"They've had some players missing in recent weeks and those are the things that fans don't always see. I think they get some of those players back this week and will be a huge challenge on Friday night."

Leading the ULL offense is Mackenzie Higgins, who paces the Sun Belt in both points (1.31) and goals per match (0.62). Higgins has been the recipient of several passes from Ashleigh Cade, who leads the conference in assists per game (0.69).

The Cajuns (6-6-1, 2-2-1) are averaging 2.0 goals while putting up a 2-1 record in their last three outings.

"They've scored a lot of goals from throw-ins; we'll be seeing one of those long throw-ins again this week, and that's obviously a huge weapon," Winkworth said. "They also return some good footballers on the team as well, some big-name players that have done well in the league over the last few years. We know we're in for a big challenge against them, because they are a high-powered offensive unit."

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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