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.