MOBILE, Ala. — Second-seeded Middle Tennessee beat South Alabama 2-1 on Wednesday night at The Cage in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference women’s soccer championship, ending the Lady Jaguars’ season.
Junior forward Linsey Snavely scored with 13 minutes remaining to cut the Blue Raiders’ lead to 2-1, but South Alabama could not find an equalizer.
How the Goals Came
Middle Tennessee put seven shots on goal and earned three corner kicks before breaking through on a 40-yard strike that the South Alabama goalkeeper could not reach. The Blue Raiders doubled the lead in the 63rd minute.
The Blue Raiders entered the tournament ranked third in the nation in scoring at 3.12 goals per game. They also beat South Alabama 2-1 in Tennessee on Oct. 14.
Varga: ‘We Kept Fighting’
“Going down two goals made it tough for us,” South Alabama coach Mike Varga said. “The first goal was a great shot, you have to take your hat off for that finish. We turned the ball over and gave them an open chance on the second goal, but we kept fighting.”
“I’m proud of the girls for continuing to fight back and getting that goal back, but it’s disappointing to end the season like this,” he said.
Tournament Continues Friday
After an off day Thursday, the semifinals are set for Friday at The Cage. Top-seeded North Texas faces No. 4 seed Western Kentucky at 4 p.m., and Middle Tennessee meets No. 3 seed FIU at 7 p.m. The winners play Sunday for the Sun Belt championship.
