STATESBORO, Ga. – University of South Alabama sophomore Morgan Cross tallied a pair of goals in the first five minutes of the contest to lead the Jaguars to a 3-0 defeat of Georgia Southern Friday night at Eagle Field.
The Jaguars move into the top spot in the Sun Belt Conference standings with the win, and boast a 10-3-2 overall record and a 5-1-1 mark in the league. The Eagles fall to 4-7-1 and 1-3-1.
GAME FACTS
- The Jaguars used a pair of set pieces to take a 2-0 lead in short order
- Both set pieces resulted in loose balls in front of the goal, which Cross put home at 3:27 and 5:00, respectively
- Senior Briana Morris recorded her 10th goal of the season in the 30th minute off a rebound from graduate Athanasia Moraitou
- Sophomore Brenna McPartlan forced a diving save from distance in the 58th minute
- Freshman Bergdis Fanney Einarsdóttir also tried GS goalkeeper Lauren Karinshak from outside the box at 61:47 but Karinshak went low for the save
- Senior goalkeeper Justice Stanford was not called upon for a save but recorded her 31st career shutout, tied for third in Sun Belt history with Troy's Mikki Lewis
NOTES
- USA moves two points above Troy in the league standings
- South Alabama leads the series 10-1 overall, and 8-0 since Georgia Southern joined the Sun Belt in 2014; the Jags goal differential in Sun Belt contests is 20-0
- Cross' brace is the first of her career; she has matched her career high in goals from last year with three
- Three of the Jags' five conference wins have been by a 3-0 score line
- Morris has the 23rd double-digit goal season in USA history
- Stanford is three clean sheets away from Erica Izard of Denver for second place in the league record books
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
Overall thoughts: "First things first, this is never an easy place to play.