MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama seniors Rio and Steffi Hardy scored a goal apiece to lead the Jaguars to a 2-1 victory Sunday against Georgia State at The Cage.
The Jaguars win for the third straight game and are unbeaten in their last five outings to improve to 5-4-1 and 3-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Panthers fall to 3-7-1 and 1-3.
GAME FACTS
-It took less than a minute for the Jags to get on the board – Steffi headed home a corner kick from freshman Ana Helmert 48 seconds into the contest
-Rio doubled the advantage at the 22:55 mark after she hit a loose ball first time at the top of the 18-yard box into the left corner
-Sophomore Kory Dixon just missed adding another to USA's lead at 27:33 but her attempt from the right wing just grazed the left post
-Sophomore Brianna Morris forced GSU goalkeeper Brie Haynes to make two saves late in the first half – Morris got her head on a cross that went right to Haynes at 35:54, then forced Haynes to make a leaping save at 41:10
-The Jaguars held a 13-3 advantage in shots at halftime and put eight of those attempts on net
-Haynes stopped a breakaway from Rio six minutes into the second half
-The Panthers made it a one-goal game with 14 minutes left when Isabelle Guest volleyed home a corner kick from Ashley Thomas that deflected off the hands of USA goalkeeper Justice Stanford
-Georgia State tested Stanford three times in the last 11 minutes, but only one shot hit the target
-Stanford made four saves, Haynes had 10 stops
NOTES
-The Hardys scored in the same game for the fifth time in their career – it happened once in 2016 and three times in 2014
-Rio currently leads the team with four goals
-South Alabama led by multiple goals at halftime for the first time this season
-USA is 3-0 in Sun Belt play for the third straight season, and the third time in school history
-The Jaguars are 32-5-2 in conference games since the start of the 2014 season
-Rio broke a tie with Rebecca Kahn for third place at South Alabama in career game-winning goals with 10
-South Alabama has scored first and outshot its opponent seven times in the last eight games
-Georgia State snapped a five-game scoreless streak against South Alabama that dated back to the 2013 campaign
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
On getting off to a good start: "That was a dream start, right?