FOLEY, Ala. – Junior Morgan Cross scored twice in the final five minutes and 39 seconds as the University of South Alabama soccer team overcame Arkansas State, 2-1, to win the Sun Belt Championship Sunday afternoon at Foley Sports Tourism.

The Jaguars were an offensive threat the entire game, but it had appeared that the Red Wolves had solved USA's attack. South took 18 shots, with eight on goal in the first 84 minutes of the game and were unable to crack the scoreboard. Freshman Kailey Littleford created a space by shifting around two defenders, and driving the end line before poking the ball through a gap in the defense to a wide-open Cross as she turned the pass into the top of the net, and erased the Arkansas State lead. The junior from Dunfermline, Scotland, finished the comeback after junior Tilly Wilkes sent a pass to Cross around the midfield stripe with the Red Wolves up in attack. The winger had one defender to beat, took her off the dribble and sent a rolling shot past the keeper into the bottom left corner of the net.

The Red Wolves had one of the best defenses in the Sun Belt entering the match. Allowing just three goals prior to the match, it was a struggle as the back line and Arkansas State Goalkeeper Megan McClure marshaled the defense into a compact unit after taking the lead in the 47th minute.

Game Facts
- Tight through the first half, each keeper made multiple saves but each effort was relatively routine as the shots the defenses allowed were from distances outside the goal box.
- Like a volleyball match, each team attacked in waves, as the teams would alternate possession and shots with each team registering a few before being forced to retreat for defense.
- Two minutes and 31 seconds into the second half, disaster struck for South. As the Jaguars cleared the ball to midfield, the Red Wolves back line fired the ball back in. Arkansas State's Hailey Cloud retrieved the ball from behind the Jaguar center backs. As the pair paused waiting for an offside call, the forward smashed the ball into the lower left hand corner past a diving Allison Luckhardt.
- South's offense slowly started to churn to life in response, and the Red Wolves took advantage of the players advanced position. Arkansas State's leading scorer got into a one on one situation with Luckhardt in the 53rd minute, but the keeper was able to close down the forward and as the ball was struck less than five feet away from her, Luckhardt grabbed and held onto the attempt.
- Eleven minutes later, after getting pulled down by her jersey collar, senior Ana Helmert drew a second yellow card on an Arkansas State forward. With the aspect of a counter-attack off the table with the player removed from the game, the match was almost exclusively played in the Red Wolves' half of the field.
- Twenty minutes and nine seconds after the card, USA equalized as the defense was not quick enough to keep up with Littleford after being forced to chase her over the second half down the left wing. The Freshman lifted the ball about a foot off the ground going over defenders and the keeper's outstretched leg as Cross buried it in the back of the net (1-1).
- With the match tied, the Red Wolves pushed forward with 10 players, trying to re-establish the one-goal advantage. After some possession pushed the entire formation forward, South created a turnover. Cross immediately bolted wide toward the touchline as Wilkes passed it to the open winger. Cross saw one defender in her path at the midfield line and took off on goal trying to beat the defense with speed. Getting to the edge of the area, she juked the defender moving past her and as the keeper rushed to close the gap to eliminate the angle, the junior shot before the keeper got set, sending the ball past her and into the net.
- Arkansas State would earn a corner kick with 43 seconds left, but USA allowed no shots the rest of the contest.

Notes
- USA has won seven of the last eight Sun Belt Tournament Championships. The new mark is tied with Denver for most in Sun Belt history
- The last two conference titles have been attained over Arkansas State in back-to-back years.
- The 36:34 that South trailed is longer than they have trailed in all other games this season combined (35:46).
- Cross joins Former-Jaguar Briana Morris as she received the honor of Most Outstanding Player (of the tournament) last season.
- Five Jaguars were selected for the all-tournament team, equaling last year's total. Wilkes and McPartlan were repeat winners joined by Helmert, Cross and Luckhardt.
- Both Luckhardt and McClure were selected in the 11 at the goalkeeper position.
- The brace scored is the third time Cross has recorded two goals in a game with both previously happening on Oct.11. (2020, 2019)
- The junior notched her fourth and fifth goal, bringing her to 15 points, second on the club.
- Littleford added her third assist and ninth point on the year.

Sun Belt All-Tournament Team
Jimena Cabrero, Georgia State
Hailey Cloud, Arkansas State
Morgan Cross, South Alabama
Ana Helmert, South Alabama
Allison Luckhardt, South Alabama
Megan McClure, Arkansas State
Brenna McPartlan, South Alabama
Gwen Mummert, Louisiana
Olivia Smith, Arkansas State
Sarah Sodoma, Arkansas State
Olivia Wilkes, South Alabama

Sun Belt Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Morgan Cross, South Alabama

Head Coach Richard Moodie
- On the match: "I can't say it went according to plan but we stuck with it. We wanted to make it about soccer today and not about the long ball and being direct. The sending off helped, our tails were up and we shifted to three in the back [to an attacking formation]. Thankfully, we've got a group a student-athletes that tactically we can change [substitute] without changing anything [strategically]. If anything, that made us stronger and we scored the two goals in that shape."

- On the team and the season: "I told the team that there's very few things that have reduced me to tears in my life and this was one of them. I am just so proud of them all. The adversity that we've gone through this week is unbelievable. To do what we do, week in and week out, to have enough left in the tank to push those last five minutes to get a goal. I am their coach, but I am a fan of them and what they do. I couldn't be prouder of them. We have always been a team propelled off hard work, effort and good soccer. The hard work and effort today was second to none."

- On the veteran players: "I had to tell [Tabea] Griss I've got it wrong and she should have started. She came in and was flying around today. [Ana] Helmert was phenomenal today. It is so much bigger than an individual, it's about the team effort at the end of the day. We had all our veterans on the field at the end of the game, we were pushing hard and when you need a goal in these games that are tight, you need players with experience and I think they sent a good message to the younger players on how that worked today."

Senior Ana Helmert
- On the team over the season: "It just shows how much discipline and hard work we put in this year. We basically had to stay around each other for three months. It finally paid off getting to be here and in this game."

- As captain on the field: "I think the best thing to do is lead by example. In the moments when we are down, and maybe not getting the amount of chances we want, just pushing through and trying to create as much as you can and giving 100 percent. It rubs off on everyone else."

Junior Morgan Cross
- On the goals: "So [Kailey] Littleford was brilliant to beat her player for the first one. I opened up to put it in the top corner. It gave us a big boost. The second goal, I just broke away and pulled out. I'm not one for thinking in the moment but I saw one-v-one and thought 'one-v-one to win the tournament, let's go!' and I had a good finish."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. 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