MOBILE, Ala. – The 2016 soccer season officially kicks off this weekend when the University of South Alabama hosts Samford and No. 12 Auburn at The Cage.

The Jaguars will take on Samford Friday at 7 p.m. and Auburn Sunday at the special start time of 6 p.m.

A live stream of the games will be available for free at JagNationTV.com.

"We've been waiting nine months for this," said USA head coach Graham Winkworth. "Every year ends with a defeat unless you're the national champion, so I sit around moping for nine months ready to get rolling again. This year is more exciting than most because we return such a talented team. We know there are a lot of expectations on us and the girls have embraced the increased level of professionalism around here. We're excited about the new season and the top-quality opponents we'll be welcoming into The Cage.

"We know Samford. They're the preseason favorites for their conference, and Auburn is one of the favorites for their league. We're up against two of the strongest teams in our region and I think that can only be a good thing to prepare for conference play later in the year."

South Alabama sits just outside the NSCAA top 25, receiving the most votes of any school not ranked, and returns nine starters from last year's 18-3-2 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

The Jags went through two exhibition games unscathed, outscoring Mobile and Alabama-Birmingham by a combined 7-0, with seven different players recording a goal.

"We learned that we've got a lot of depth and quality all over the field," Winkworth said. "Adding (freshman) Jana (Loeber) has certainly increased competition in the heart of our defense, and that's going to be an area that will be hard to select as the season goes on. But all over the field, from goalkeeper to center forward, we have competition. The girls have got to really understand that they cannot be comfortable, and if they are, they'll lose their spot very quickly."

USA will be facing its toughest opening weekend in recent memory with Auburn nationally ranked and a round of 16 participant in last year's NCAA Tournament, and Samford the defending Southern Conference champions. The Jags faced each school on the road in 2015, edging out Samford 3-2, but falling 2-1 to then-No. 9 Auburn.

Samford won the SoCon with an 8-1 mark and went 14-5-1 overall. The Bulldogs return a bulk of their starters – nine – including leading scorer Malcanisha Kelley, who had 13 goals and 31 points, and Taylor Borman and Jermaine Seoposenwe, who recorded 11 assists apiece.

"They have some real weapons," Winkworth stated. "Kelley is a massive goal threat and has extraordinary pace. Seoposenwe is just coming off the Olympics, playing for South Africa, and is their star. They're always very organized defensively too."

Auburn has 10 starters back from last year's 16-6-1 squad that defeated Southeastern Louisiana and Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Florida State in the round of 16. Leading scorer Casie Ramsier had 12 goals a season ago, including the match-winner against the Jaguars.

"We know how Auburn are going to play – their style and system – and they don't tend to adapt from that very frequently," Winkworth said. "We're looking forward to playing them, but they're a more athletic, bigger and stronger team than we are, so we're going to have to find another way to be successful. They are an extremely talented team and they reached the Sweet 16 last year for a reason. They're well coached with lots of top players. We know we're in for a terrific match on Sunday.

"Both matches will be great for our fans, and with both of them being night games, hopefully we can get some support in the stands."

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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