FOLEY, Ala. – Kory Dixon scored a brace and the University of South Alabama soccer team recorded three second-half goals to defeat Little Rock 4-0 and advance to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament final Friday afternoon at the Foley Sports Complex.

The Jaguars improve to 13-5-1 while the Trojans drop to 9-9-3.

GAME FACTS
- The two teams combined for just six shots (USA 5, LR 1) in the first half
- Senior Rio Hardy opened the scoring on a penalty kick at the 15:18 mark
- The Jaguars wasted little time in making it a 2-0 score following intermission after Dixon volleyed home a cross from Hardy at 45:30
- Senior Chelsea Followwell nearly added another goal at 47:42 but her left-footed attempt grazed the top of the crossbar
- Dixon made it a brace in the 57th minute, converting a breakaway after a corner kick
- Justice Stanford preserved the shutout on a diving save to deny Arola Aparicio Gili at 64:21
- Hardy also hit the crossbar on a free kick at 77:26 but the Trojans were able to make the clearance
- Freshman Ana Helmert scored her second goal in as many games at 83:33 off a pass from Followwell
- Stanford's save in the 65th minute was one of two she made in 90 minutes of work; a pair of Little Rock goalkeepers combined for one save

NOTES
- South Alabama outshot Little Rock 12-3, and four of the Jags' five shots on goal went in
- Hardy's penalty was the team's fifth of the year, which is a new school record
- Hardy's goal and assist gives her 33 points on the season to set a new career high, and 99 points for her career
- Dixon, who had three career goals coming into the match, recorded her first career brace
- Hardy extended her school record with her 14th career game-winning goal
- South Alabama has won nine in a row over Little Rock and leads the all-time series 19-5-1; the 19 wins are the most over any opponent in school history
- The four-goal margin ties USA's largest this season (Georgia Southern)
- South Alabama is unbeaten in its last 14 Sun Belt Tournament games dating back to 2013
- The Jaguars have blanked their last four opponents, their longest shutout streak of the season, and have seven clean sheets in 2017
- Stanford now has 17 career shutouts, one shy of fourth in school history
- Hardy has tallied three points or more seven times this season
- Hardy is now tied for seventh in school history with her 17th career assist
- The Jaguars are 50-6-4 in games against conference schools (regular season and tournament) in the last five seasons
- The Jaguars have 40 shutouts in the last four seasons, the most by any Sun Belt school

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
On the team's performance: "It was a true team performance. Lots of characters today were pitching in and when we made substitutions, the level didn't drop. I'm really proud of the team effort and I thought it was a fantastic performance from us. We looked sound defensively and we punished them when we had to."

On what he wants to see Sunday: "We just have to build on this performance. We tell them, it's not about winning a trophy – trophies are material possessions that sit on a shelf. It's the memories that will last forever for these girls. As we press on, we get to train tomorrow – there's another team that doesn't. For us, we know it's fragile, we just want to keep working hard. We have such a great group of seniors and upperclassmen, even the freshmen. We just want to create memories with them and do this season justice."

On if it the team wanted it more: "All credit to Little Rock. In the first five or 10 minutes, they possessed the ball, but the penalty killed them, and the goal within the first 30 seconds of the second half was too much for them."

UP NEXT
The Jaguars will face the winner of Coastal Carolina vs. Georgia Southern on Sunday 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).

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

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