FOLEY, Ala. – Senior Rio Hardy scored a brace and sophomore Kory Dixon had a goal and two assists as the University of South Alabama soccer team claimed its fifth consecutive Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship with a 5-0 victory over Coastal Carolina Sunday at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex.

The Jaguars will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 14-5-1 record, and will await word on its first-round opponent Monday. The Chanticleers drop to 11-8-1.

GAME FACTS
- USA outshot CCU 19-9, and held a 10-4 edge in shots on goal
- Moments after Hardy hit the woodwork, Dixon and senior Danielle Henley teamed up to put the Jags on the board at 6:22; Dixon took the ball down the right wing and her cross found Henley's head about eight yards out
- Just under five minutes later, Dixon added to the lead on a through-ball from senior Chelsea Followwell; Dixon's shot from the right channel deflected off the coastal Carolina goalkeeper and trickled in
- Hardy made it 3-0 at the 18:29 mark on a breakaway after a Dixon throughball
- The Chanticleers outshot the Jaguars 4-2 and controlled most of the possession in the first half after Hardy's goal, but only put one of the four on target
- Senior Steffi Hardy, making a rare run forward, scored from the left wing at 53:16 to make it 4-0
- Rio Hardy scored her second of the day in the final moments, putting home a rebound off the crossbar
- Justice Stanford made four saves in recording her eighth shutout of the season

NOTES
- USA recorded the largest winning margin in SBC final history and becomes the first Sun Belt school to win five straight tournament championships
- Rio Hardy is the second South Alabama player to have 100 points in their career, joining USA Hall of Famer Cindy Rainville
- Hardy has 103 points and 43 goals in her career; the 45 goals are two shy of Rainville's record
- Dixon has four goals and 10 points in last her last four games, and three goals and eight points in her last two
- Today was the largest win of the season for the Jags
- South Alabama has not allowed a goal in its last seven tournament games, outscoring the opposition 24-0
- Named to the all-tournament team were Henley, Rio and Steffi Hardy, Stanford and Dixon; Rio Hardy was named Most Outstanding Player
- Stanford is tied for fourth in school history with 18 career clean sheets
- The Jags' 11-0 goal margin is a Sun Belt Tournament record
- South Alabama is unbeaten in its last 15 Sun Belt Tournament games dating back to 2013
- The Jaguars have blanked their last five opponents, their longest shutout streak of the season, and have eight clean sheets in 2017
- Hardy has tallied three points or more eight times this season
- The Jaguars are 51-6-4 in games against conference schools (regular season and tournament) in the last five seasons
- The Jaguars have 41 shutouts in the last four seasons, the most by any Sun Belt school
- Four of the last five Sun Belt Players of the Year were also named SBC Most Outstanding Player

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
On winning a fifth straight title: "It is a fantastic achievement for these girls, and tactically, a really disciplined performance from our team today. Five goals in a tournament final is fantastic. It's just part of the journey. This wasn't the goal for the season. Making a national tournament is part three and now we get to train next week. I'm proud of all the girls, but especially the seniors. Not every tournament you get to finish with all of your seniors on the field, so we're really thankful we had that opportunity today."

On the offense clicking during the tournament: "Tactically, we were so disciplined. Friday night, the game was a little different. We were higher up the field just trying to pick off bad passes. (Daniela) Famili and (Kayla) Christian punished Georgia Southern on Friday night so we decided to sit off, let them play, and when they couldn't play into the pockets, we were going to punish them. Three goals in the first 20 minutes took the wind out of their sails. That's the most relaxed I've ever been in the last 20 minutes of a final. The girls did really well, and it wasn't easy game – it took a lot of work from us. They were willing to put in the work and effort."

On Rio Hardy's day: "At the start of the season, we told the girls that we've lost the girl that scored 11 goals last year, so which one of you is going to step up and accept the challenge? Now we're asking her how many goals she's going to score. Today she said two. That's the sign of being a goal scorer – she's so confident. But behind that confidence is hard work. She's on the field working hard all the time, her sister is helping her, serving balls. She's a product of her hard work."

UP NEXT
The Jaguars will move on to the NCAA Tournament. The date and opponent will be announced by the NCAA.

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—