MOBILE, Ala. — The Sun Belt Soccer Championship opens Wednesday at The Cage on the University of South Alabama campus, with the host Jaguars entering the eight-team field as the No. 7 seed and drawing second-seeded Middle Tennessee in the final quarterfinal of the day.
It is the fifth time South Alabama has served as host of the conference tournament and the first time since 2007.
Opening-Day Schedule
Four quarterfinal matches are set for Wednesday:
- No. 1 North Texas vs. No. 8 Florida Atlantic, 10 a.m.
- No. 4 Western Kentucky vs. No. 5 Arkansas State, 1 p.m.
- No. 3 FIU vs. No. 6 Troy, 4 p.m.
- No. 2 Middle Tennessee vs. No. 7 South Alabama, final match of the day
The winners advance to the tournament semifinals, which will also be played at The Cage.
Rematch With Middle Tennessee
South Alabama and Middle Tennessee met earlier this season, with the Blue Raiders winning 2-1. The Jaguars will try to reverse that result with the home crowd behind them in the night’s closing quarterfinal.
As the No. 2 seed, Middle Tennessee finished second only to North Texas in the seeding for the tournament. South Alabama earned the seventh spot in the bracket to qualify for the field of eight.
Tournament Returns to Mobile
The championship brings eight Sun Belt programs to Mobile for the event. South Alabama last hosted the tournament five years ago, in 2007.
The tournament champion earns the Sun Belt Conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
