MOBILE, Ala. – With three minutes and thirty seconds remaining in double-overtime, junior Tilly Wilkes muscled into a pocket of space near the far post and got her head onto senior Deanna Green's cross, knocking the chance in off the cross bar and scoring the golden goal to give the University of South Alabama soccer team its first victory of the season, 2-1 in double-overtime.

While multiple players were involved in the build-up of the game-winning goal, junior Morgan Cross earned a secondary assist when she played Green into a pocket of space that set up the Madison, Miss., native to send the lobbed pass from the attacking-right side of the pitch to the far post.

It had seemed like disaster had struck only minutes prior, as Troy's Kate Eubanks scored the first goal of the contest, by heading in Alisa Detlefsen's corner kick with 138 seconds left in the second half.

After falling behind, USA shifted to an attacking 3-4-3 formation, and with time running out, Wilkes played a through ball into the box that caught Troy's back line out of position. As Cross had a step on the defender, the Trojan committed a foul by bringing the junior from Dunfermline, Scotland, to the ground in the penalty box with three seconds in regulation. Junior Brenna McPartlan slotted the spot kick into the left side of the net tying the contest, before South ultimately triumphed.

Game Facts
- Both teams started immediately trying to establish possession with physicality, but neither side was able to take control of the ball for long periods of time.
- The first chance of the match fell to the Jaguars in the 19th minute when freshman Kailey Littleford juked a defender and ripped a shot toward the Trojan goal, but Troy's goalkeeper Lindsey LaRoche made the save.  
- USA made another offensive stride three minutes later as senior Ana Helmert fired a tight-angle shot that deflected off LaRoche into the air. Graduate-student Tabea Griss headed the deflected ball, but the attempt was wide of the goal.
- Two minutes after that, Griss was ready to celebrate her first goal of the season after a pass from sophomore Gracie Wilson made it to Griss in a gap of the defense, but the Gaienhoffen, Germany, native was ruled offside prior to scoring.
- Troy made a push just before halftime as the Trojan Britt Ellmore forced freshman Anita Gudmundsdottir to make the first save of her collegiate career with 1:15 on the clock.
- Neither team could establish a significant threat in the second half until Troy made a late push to earn a corner kick with two and a half minutes remaining in regulation. Eubanks made a quick move to create space from her defender in the six-yard box, and was first to the ball, nodding it into the net and the Trojans into the lead.
- South responded with an immediate formation swap to 3-4-3 in an attempt to find an equalizer.
- The Jaguars maintained possession but could not find a moment to beat Troy's defense until Wilkes played a through-ball that caught Troy's formation out of position. Cross reacted to the ball first, and would have had an open attempt one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The defender brought Cross to the ground before she had the opportunity to play the ball prompting a foul and triggering a penalty kick.
- McPartlan lined up, and fired the penalty into the left side of the net with three ticks on the clock in regulation.
- With neither team creating a solid chance in the first overtime, Wilson, Cross and Green created gaps through interplay bypassing the Trojans, freeing Green to play a lobbed pass across the face of the goal that Wilkes popped into the net ending the game with three and a half minutes remaining in double-overtime.

Notes
- The victory was the tenth all-time in program history in the series with Troy.
- USA snapped a two-game losing streak to the Trojans.
- McPartlan has scored in back-to-back games for the fourth time in her career, as it was her sixth goal from penalties in the last two seasons.
- Wilkes scored her second career goal and both have been from headers.
- Green earned her first assist since the 2017 season.
- Cross notched her third assist over the last two years.
- Gudmundsdottir made her debut in goal for the Jaguars with a starting role and stayed in the entire match, while making three saves and earning the win.
- Littleford made her first career start and appearance with freshmen Morgan White and Izzy Ford also receiving their first minutes as Jaguars.

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
- On the result: "Two weeks ago that was us. We were one goal up and Louisiana stole our thunder. Today the shoe was on the other foot. We changed formation and the student-athletes did a wonderful job and never gave up. The adjustment worked and we scored two goals off of it. It was a wonderful win, we are just grateful to all those involved and happy to be playing."
 
Junior Tilly Wilkes
- On the victory: "It was enormous, especially against Troy and to open conference play. This is my third year here and first time beating them. I am especially excited that it was from [Deanna] Green's cross. I was happier that it was from her than the goal itself."

- On the goal: "I know [Deanna] Green can cross very well, and luckily the person marking me was roughly the same height, I had a good leap and just let it hit me. It hit the cross bar and went in, then I saw everyone running at me."

UP NEXT
- The Jaguars take their first road trip of the season and will take on Coastal Carolina Friday night at 6 p.m. CDT in Conway, S.C. Sunday, USA will be in Boone,N.C., facing Appalachian State with an 11 a.m. CDT scheduled kickoff.

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