MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama soccer team got two early goals and three late scores in a 5-0 shutout of Mobile Friday at Sage Park.

The game was the preseason opener for the Jaguars, who had their exhibition Thursday against Southern Miss rained out. The match – consisting of three 30-minute periods – was played at Sage Park due to adverse field conditions at The Cage.

"There are a lot of things we need to be working on, but for a first exhibition game, I thought we did very well," USA head coach Graham Winkworth said. "There were some positive signs. We were composed in possession, sometimes too composed and needed to increase our level of urgency. Overall, I was quite happy for a first exhibition.

"I think we showed we're a team with a lot of depth. In the past, when we'd take players off the pitch, there'd be a drop in quality. Tonight, I thought we showed that our squad has a lot of depth and I was very pleased with that. Every player that's healthy got some playing time tonight – at least 30 minutes."

Junior Chardé Hannah (Tupelo, Miss.) scored a goal – South Alabama's first of the night – and set up two others. She converted a penalty kick in the eighth minute before assisting on the Jags' next two scores.

"Chardé did very well," Winkworth said. "She needs to work on her movement in the final third. She's a very dangerous, athletic player. We've got to teach her to make more intelligent runs off the ball to give her better opportunities, but overall I thought she did very well when in possession of the ball."

Junior Chelsea Followwell (Sachse, Texas) was the recipient on one of Hannah's crosses, converting two minutes after Hannah's penalty to put USA up 2-0.

"In the first 10 minutes we were fantastic," Winkworth said. "I think that scoring those two goals almost hurt our performance for a long period because we got too comfortable. We took our foot off the gas a little bit and our level slowed down. We kept possession but didn't really do anything with the ball."

The middle period saw South Alabama rotate a second group in to get most of the playing time, but while keeping Mobile scoreless, was unable to find the net themselves.

It took less than 10 minutes after the start of the third period for the Jaguars to put the game away. Hannah assisted on sophomore Jemma Purfield's (Cottingham, England) goal in the 69th minute for a 3-0 score. Junior Ashlynn Jones (Pickerington, Ohio) tacked on USA's fourth of the night in the 77th minute, and junior Danielle Henley (Hattiesburg, Miss.) put home a cross from Purfield to close out the scoring.

"In the second period, we made a lot of changes, and I think that some of the faces that went in provided a spark," Winkworth stated. "I thought Kory Dixon in particular and Briana Morris came off the bench and gave a spark to get the energy levels back up, which helped us going into the third period, where the majority of the starters came back on the field and had to up their game for the final period, and did so."

South Alabama hosts its final exhibition contest Sunday at 12:30 p.m. against Alabama-Birmingham.

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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