MOBILE, Ala. - University of South Alabama soccer continues its season this weekend with a pair of road matches against Florida State and Auburn. The Jags travel to Tallahassee, Fla., Friday for a 6 p.m. (CDT) match against Florida State, and then travel to Auburn for a 2 p.m. contest Sunday afternoon.
USA (1-0-0) seeks its first-ever win against Florida State Friday afternoon. The Seminoles, ranked no. 5 in the NSCAA/adidas poll, lead the all-time series with a record of 4-0-0. The schools last met in September 2000, with FSU defeating the Jags 2-0.
Landi Wilson leads the Jags into this weekend's matches as the team's leading scorer. The sophomore from Cincinnati, Ohio, scored two goals in the Jags' season-opening win over Southern Miss last Friday.
USA goalkeeper Katie Berry looks to build on last Friday's shutout in which she recorded eight saves.
FSU (1-0-0) enters Friday's match after defeating Jacksonville 7-0 in the season opener last weekend. The Seminoles finished 2008 as the Atlantic Coast Conference runner-up, and ended the season with a 2-0 loss in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament to Notre Dame.
The Seminoles are led by defender Becky Edwards, who recorded a hat trick in the season-opening win over Jacksonville. Tiffany McCarty, a sophomore forward, returns as the team's top-returning scorer. McCarty netted 11 goals and tallied six assists for the Seminoles last season.
FSU returns six starters from last season's 17-3-3 team. The Seminoles enter Friday's contest with six consecutive home matches without a loss. Their last loss at home came to Virginia on Sept. 28 last season. FSU finished 8-2-0 at home last year, and 4-1-0 in non-conference home matches.
USA will face Auburn for the 10th time in the program's history Sunday afternoon. The schools have not met since Sept. 2002, when Auburn defeated the Jags 4-0. The Tigers lead the all-time series 8-0-1.
Auburn (0-0-1) opened its season with a 0-0 tie against Samford last weekend in Birmingham. The Tigers are led by sophomore midfielder Katy Frierson and senior forward Rebecca Howell. Frierson led the team in goals (9) and points (25) last season, while Howell led the team in assists (12).
"We are looking forward to going on the road and playing two nationally-respected programs," USA head coach Mike Varga said. "Both Florida State and Auburn are loaded with talent, and are well-coached, so we know we will have our hands full this weekend."
Live stats for Friday's match against Florida State can be accessed by clicking here.
Live stats for Sunday's match against Auburn can be accessed by clicking here.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
