OXFORD, Miss. – The University of South Alabama soccer team got a goal from junior Ashlynn Jones (Pickerington, Ohio) in the 10th minute, and despite being outshot 6-3 in the second half, picked up its third consecutive shutout, defeating Ole Miss 1-0 Sunday at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.

All three clean sheets have come by the same 1-0 score with freshman Justice Stanford (The Colony, Texas) in goal. The Jaguars improve to 5-2-1 on the year, while the Rebels fall to 4-4.

"I thought the girls were excellent tonight," USA head coach Graham Winkworth said. "We had a gameplan and felt we could play soccer against this team. We weren't going to put up a wall in the same sense that we did against Florida State. We wanted to attack them, but at the same time, we wanted to attack them in a sensible, conservative manner and keep possession. To be honest, even when we were under pressure from their players at times, we didn't panic and managed to keep the ball. Credit to the girls for playing soccer when the game was pressurized and close.

"I thought one group that played well after not having a strong couple of weeks was our forwards. They worked a lot harder today in maintaining possession and getting on the end of that first ball. Rather than turning into trouble, I thought they did a lot better holding the ball up and bringing the midfield into play. It really enabled us to get into the final third. A lot of credit to them as well."

Unlike Friday, where South Alabama had to score in the final moments to pick up the win, Jones goal – the team's second-earliest of the season – put the pressure on Ole Miss to equalize.

"They came back at us after we scored a goal – they hit the post – but other than that, Justice had to make one save and the others were relatively routine," Winkworth stated. "Our backline has been phenomenal – we have three 1-0 wins in a week against a team that reached the Sweet 16 and another against the No. 1 team in the nation. For us to be that strong defensively and limit the easy chances that our opponents are getting, just emphasizes how well our back four and team are defending."

Freshman Alexis Jordan (Mesquite, Texas) picked up the assist after streaking down the right sideline with the ball and centering it to the top of the six-yard box. Jones hit it first time on the half volley past the Rebel goalkeeper at 9:26.

"I felt Alexis caused them problems the whole game," Winkworth said. "She's so athletic and they played a 3-5-2 against us where we were able to double up against them in a 2 v 1. Alexis was able to get outside all day. If we were a bit more clinical in the final third, we could've had two or three from her crosses. She had a phenomenal game and I'm really pleased with her."

USA threatened several times in the first half, putting four of its six shots on target and forcing Marnie Merritt to make some key stops, including a diving save on junior Danielle Henley (Hattiesburg, Miss.) at the seven-minute mark.

"We weren't very accurate with our shots on Friday night and when we play teams like Ole Miss, you're not going to get that many opportunities so you do need to put them on target," Winkworth said. "We created good chances as well. The shot count isn't always a fair judge of how the game goes because if we got on the end of some of these crosses that were rolling across the six, the shot count would've been much higher and they would've been good opportunities as well."

Jones shared team-high honors with Henley with three shots, but put all three of hers on net, including the game winner.

Ole Miss had six attempts after halftime, but only two hit the target, and South Alabama had all three corner kicks in the second period.

Stanford reduces her season goals against average to 0.25 after making five saves. She had recorded a clean sheet in three of her four career appearances, and the team has won three consecutive 1-0 games for the first time in school history.

"The defense has been extremely organized and played confidently," Winkworth said. "They've put headers in when they've needed to, covered each other and their positioning has been fantastic. They're learning the way each other play. We've got two freshmen starting in the back four, a sophomore that didn't start last season, and another sophomore – two sophomores, two freshmen and another freshman behind them in goal. It's a very young backline, so the fact that they're doing so well against the best teams in the country is remarkable. Hopefully their confidence is booming as we enter a new season next week."

Merritt had four saves and allowed the one goal.

The Jaguars move on to Sun Belt Conference play next, hosting Georgia Southern Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

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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