Sept. 14, 2007

Final Stats

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss women's soccer team notched its first win of the season, today, downing South Alabama, 2-1, at "The Cage" in Mobile, Ala.

Freshman midfielder Jana Mason (Tupelo, Miss.) recorded the game-winning goal eight minutes into the second half, walking the ball in the goal after South Alabama goalkeeper Kelsie Langford came out of the penalty box.

"We're excited about the performance and about our first win," Head Coach Gail Macklin said. "We played well and were able to come back after Wednesday. The most exciting part about it was not only that two freshmen scored goals, but also that we created chances. We're really happy that we were able to find a way to win, and we're looking forward to some more play."

South Alabama scored first on a header by Liz Clark, following a corner kick from Carly Williams nine minutes into the first half.

Freshman forward Amy Skeet (Lewisville, Texas) tied the contest at 1-1 just four minutes after USA's score when the Jaguars misplayed a Southern Miss corner kick, leaving her wide open for a goal.

Senior Lady Eagle goalkeeper Anna Fiser (Jackson, Miss.) earned the starting nod for Southern Miss, her fifth of the season, and recorded one save.

Both teams tallied nine shots each; with junior forward Sarah McFadden (Magherfelt, Northern Ireland), senior midfielder Megan Kolts (Suwannee, Ga.), freshman midfielder Bianca Ontiveros (Albuquerque, New Mexico), senior defender Jackie Ryan (Snellville, Ga.), freshman midfielder Mallory Barnes (Lafayette, La.), Skeet and Mason recording shots for Southern Miss.

"It went really well for us tonight," Kolts said. "We were strong in the back, and we moved our way forward to create chances. It was an overall good game against South Alabama, and we're looking forward to using this improvement for the rest of the season."

With the win, the Lady Eagles improve to 1-4-0, while the Jaguars fell to 3-2-0.

Southern Miss returns to action on Sunday, hosting in-state rival Jackson State in a 1 p.m. contest.