South Alabama vs. Arkansas State • Oct. 13, 2017 • 7 p.m. • The Cage (690) • Mobile, Ala.
South Alabama at Coastal Carolina • Oct. 15, 2017 • Noon CST • Coastal Carolina Soccer Stadium (2,000) • Conway, S.C.
THE COACHES
South Alabama
Richard Moodie (Carson-Newman, 2006)
Record at USA: 7-4-1 (1st year)
Overall Record: 55-43-8 (6th year)
Arkansas State
Brian Dooley (Nova Southeastern, 1987)
Record at A-State: 16-27-5 (3rd year)
Overall Record: 208-151-26 (21st year)
Coastal Carolina
Paul Hogan (Charleston, 1995)
Record at CCU: 54-52-6 (7th year)
Overall Record: 78-61-13 (10th year)
SERIES INFORMATION
A-State: South Alabama leads 13-2-3.
Current winning streak: USA, 3 wins
A-State's last win in series: 2-1 (10/15/10) in Jonesboro
Last meeting: South Alabama 1, Arkansas State 0 (9/23/16)
USA's record at home: 8-0-1
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 4 / 2
Notes: A USA win would tie the Jaguars' longest win streak in the series… South Alabama has a seven-match unbeaten streak vs. Arkansas State… The Red Wolves lone road point in the series came in a 0-0 draw in 2012.
CCU: South Alabama leads 2-0.
Current winning streak: USA, 2 wins
CCU's last win in series: N/A
Last meeting: South Alabama 2, Coastal Carolina 0 (11/6/16)
USA's record on the road: 0-0
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 2 / 0
Notes: Sunday will mark the first meeting between the two schools in Conway… Last year, the Jaguars won the regular-season meeting 4-1 in Mobile and claimed the Sun Belt Tournament title 2-0 in Foley, Ala.
THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES
Friday will mark the Jaguars' first game since Oct. 1, due to Sunday's contest being postponed because of Hurricane Nate.
In Sun Belt games, South Alabama is the top scoring team in the league (2.20 gpg) and second in goals against average (0.56).
The Jaguars have outshot their opponent nine times in their last 10 games.
With the win at Troy on Sunday, USA is 2-0-1 in overtime games this season (2-0 in Sun Belt play). Last year, the Jags went 0-3-1 in extra time.
South Alabama's five-game win streak and eight-match unbeaten streak are the longest in the Sun Belt.
The Jaguars are 5-0 in the Sun Belt for the second time in school history (2015).
USA is 4-3 in one-goal games this season after starting the year 0-3
The Jaguars are 34-5-2 in conference games in the last four seasons
Rio Hardy leads the conference in goals (0.67) and points per contest (1.42).
Hardy has moved into a tie for second in school history with 11 game-winning goals and 35 goals in her career. She is third with 83 career points.
Hardy is also tied for fourth at South Alabama in career points (83).
Hardy's five goals in the last three games tie the most by a USA player in a three-game stretch in the last four years (Charde Hannah, 2014).
Hardy has matched her season goal total from 2016 with eight, and is four shy of her career high of 12 set in 2014.
Hardy has recorded three braces this season, and seven in her career.
The Jaguars will be facing two of the league's top scorers this weekend — Coastal Carolina's Daniella Famili and Arkansas State's Sarah Sodoma rank second and third, respectively, in points per game, and third and second, respectively, in goals per game.
Sodoma is averaging 0.54 goals and 1.31 points per game, while Famili is averaging 0.53 goals and 1.40 points per contest.
Famili did not register a point in two games vs. South Alabama last season.
MOODIE'S QUOTES ON THE WEEKEND
On how team will handle layoff: "I think they'll be alright. Sometimes, in a hectic season, a couple of days away from each other can be a good thing. It's sad that it came in the shape of a hurricane. They looked sharp at practice. At this point, everything we have to take is a positive, even if it means rescheduling a game until later on in the season. We're taking a positive spin on it – we get some extra rest and maybe get some players back for Arkansas State on Friday."
On what the team did differently during the time off: "We were off Saturday and Sunday, so that was a little out of the norm, but we were back in our routine on Tuesday. We didn't do anything differently, other than Monday's practice. We really went after them to get the wheels going again, but I think that was a positive. They went hard, they did a lot of playing and got a lot of touches on the ball. The two days off was nice, but a few of them came in ready to go. It was good to get them on the field again."
On Arkansas State: "They're a great team and they have some good players. We've watched a few of their games. Every team in this league, one week they're good, one they're bad. That stands true for every team in this league. We've seen teams that are as good as Arkansas State and some that are better. Can we beat them? Yes, but it's on us to show up and perform. That's where we have to be smart about how we prepare this week. That's no disrespect to anybody else in the conference. I just don't care about anyone else in the conference; I care about my girls. That's the biggest challenge that we'll have. The good news is, we don't need favors from anybody. That's the most important thing that we're trying to drive home to the girls. We're in the driving seat and destiny is in our hands – we're in control. We don't watch anyone's results because there's only one that's important and that's ours. As long as we're in control of that result, then we just have to worry about us."
On Coastal Carolina: "They're also a great team. They move the ball well and they're just phenomenal, but I also watched the Georgia Southern game where things didn't go their way. Unfortunately, that's the game we play. Sometimes the ball bounces your way and sometimes it doesn't. I don't think they're underachieving. At the beginning of the year, we couldn't get a win and everybody else could, and now the roles are reversed. They've dropped a few games in the league and they're looking at where they could be seeded. They play lovely soccer. They move the ball really well, they've got great players, they understand the game and are well coached. We'll take all of those things into consideration as we prepare for them."
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).
Join the Upper 90 Club, the soccer specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All gifts to the Upper 90 Club go directly to support the South Alabama soccer program. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/upper90
—USA—
