South Alabama vs. Little Rock • Oct. 29, 2017 • 7 p.m. • The Cage (690) • Mobile, Ala.
THE COACHES
South Alabama
Richard Moodie (Carson-Newman, 2006)
Record at USA: 10-5-1 (1st year)
Overall Record: 58-44-8 (6th year)
Little Rock
Adrian Blewitt (Lock Haven, 1994)
Record at LR: 44-44-9 (5th year)
Overall Record: 114-72-19 (9th year)
SERIES INFORMATION
South Alabama leads 17-5-1.
Current winning streak: USA, 7 wins
LR's last win in series: 3-2 (10/17/10) in Little Rock
Last meeting: South Alabama 1, Little Rock 0 (9/25/16)
USA's record at home: 11-2
USA's longest winning / losing streak in series: 7 / 2
Notes: South Alabama has outscored Little Rock 23-3 in its current seven-match win streak… USA's 9-0 win in 2012 is the program's largest Sun Belt victory… The Jaguars and Trojans have played every season since 1994 except 1998 and 1999… South Alabama's 17 wins vs. Little Rock are its most against any opponent.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Video
http://www.usajaguars.com/showcase?Live=973
Live stats
http://statb.us/b/181047
FRIDAY'S GAME
A draw on Friday will clinch South Alabama's fourth straight outright Sun Belt Conference title.
The Jaguars have clinched the top seed in next week's Sun Belt Tournament and will play Appalachian State in the first round.
Sunday's 2-0 victory over Texas State was South Alabama's second game decided by more than one goal since Sept. 7.
The Jaguars haven't given up multiple goals in a game since a 2-1 defeat to Alabama on Sept. 1, a span of 12 games, which is the longest in school history.
The Jaguars have outshot their opponent 13 times in their last 14 games.
USA is 3-0-1 in overtime games this season (3-0 in Sun Belt play). Last year, the Jags went 0-3-1 in extra time.
USA is 6-1 in one-goal games this season since starting the year 0-3.
The Jaguars are 37-6-2 in conference games in the last five seasons.
Rio Hardy has four goals in her last three games, and nine in her last seven.
Last weekend, Hardy claimed the school record for career game-winning goals with 13, passing Cindy Rainville. She is second in school history in both goals (39) and points (92).
Hardy leads the conference in points (26), goals (12) and game-winning goals (5). She has tied her career high in goals, set in her freshman season of 2014.
Hardy is tied for seventh among all active players in Division I with 39 career goals, and tied for 11th with 92 points.
After averaging 0.6 goals in their first five conference matches, Little Rock is averaging 2.75 goals in its last four.
Morgan Smocovich has four goals this season, all in the last four games. She had a brace on Oct. 13 against Appalachian State.
The Trojans have won their last two road games — both last weekend — after starting 0-6 away from home.
MOODIE'S QUOTES ON THE WEEKEND
On ending the regular season Friday: "It's a great opportunity to play at home, it's a great opportunity to get this game back and we have to look at it as a positive. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I pictured us being at home on the last day playing to win the trophy. It's a SAAC event so hopefully lots of supporters will come out – I'd love to see that. It's a chance to play in front of the home crowd for the last game of the season for our seniors."
On keeping the team focused on winning the title: "We started talking about the product and process over the result. For me, the product is the effort, how we win games and what it looks like, and understanding the attention to details. We told them that we needed 10 percent extra, and they were willing to do whatever it took. We told them that it was a sign of a championship team, that this late in the season, we're willing to go 10 percent extra. The process and the product is what we're fighting for. The trophies are all a byproduct of what we're doing. Right now, we focus on everything we've been doing: how we play and the mentality, and not even thinking about trophies, winning or any of those things. I said it to them on Sunday, I think if we play our best and Little Rock plays their best, we win. Now it's about how we get to that point."
On the defense improving as the season goes on: "Strength of schedule had a lot to do with that on the front end, and preparing to play against iconic programs like Florida State and containing special players has been something we've developed since day one. Although we have a lot of special players in the Sun Belt, there maybe aren't as many as what you would see on an ACC or SEC team. When we're able to contain them and focus defensively as a unit, I think that helps us. Finding a rhythm and consistency with a back line was hard early on. Now we've got a consistent back four that we're really happy with. They're growing as a team, and knock on wood, we're yet to play our best football. It was great to see us get a clean sheet last weekend against what was the top team in the league. The team is growing and they're learning and hungry for more. As soon as we got done on Sunday, they're all saying how much they can't wait to play Friday, and that mentality to get back on the pitch is great."
On Little Rock: "They're a good team with good players and lots of quality. They have assets in every department. In the back, they've got height and strength, in the midfield they've got players that offer a variety of things, and they're dangerous up top. I don't think they're unlike any team that we've seen this year. They're going to come in and they'll pose a challenge. Just like every opponent, we respect them because any team can win on any given day in the Sun Belt. We respect their ability and what they've done."
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—
