Tournament Central | Tournament Bracket

Mobile, Al. – Set to begin the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, the Eagles are coming off their best regular season since 2002.  The 10-5-2 overall record includes being unbeaten at home (5-0-2). The Eagles concluded Sun Belt Conference play 5-3-1 to tie for 3rd in the league. For seeding purposes, the Eagles were placed 4th after a tie break with Texas State. Although Georgia Southern tied the Bobcats head-to-head, it was Texas State who beat a higher seeded team (Troy) while the Eagles did not.  

The University of South Alabama will play host to the Championship games November 5-9 at The Cage with four matches on tap for Wednesday.  The Eagles will be pitted against Appalachian State, the 5th seed, in the opening round.  In the previous meeting, the Eagles blanked the visiting Mountaineers 2-0.  Nora El-Shami scored twice in the contest, while Katie Merson had 8 saves to preserve the shut-out.

"To be successful, we need to play with enthusiasm and also play our style of soccer," said Head Coach Brian Dunleavy. "We've got to really focus on executing properly.  We have a lot of respect for App State and we can't wait to get this tournament started. For us, a game against App is always going to be exciting and entertaining."

The road to the finals will be a challenging one as top-seeded South Alabama is on the same side of the bracket.  The semi-final match-up could mean taking on the top-seeded team in the tournament, and the host school. Taking it one game at a time, however, has been the consistent message to the team in preparation for the tournament.      

Championship Schedule: 
Wednesday Nov. 5:
Match 1: No. 3 Texas State v. No. 6 Georgia State – 10 a.m.
Match 2: No. 2 Troy v. No. 7 UL Lafayette – 1 p.m.
Match 3: No. 4 Georgia Southern v. No. 5 Appalachian State – 4 p.m.
Match 4: No. 1 South Alabama v. No. 8 UALR – 7 p.m.

Friday Nov. 7:
Match 5:  Winner Match 1 v. Winner Match 2 – 4 p.m.
Match 6: Winner Match 3 v. Winner Match 4 – 7 p.m.

Sunday Nov. 9:
Championship Match: Winner Match 5 v. Winner Match 6 – 1 p.m.

Key Players:
Nora El-Shami:  The Eagles leading goal scorer with 7 on the year.  She also leads the team in assists (6) and has placed 24 shots on goal striking true on 45.3% of her attempts. Capable of creating opportunities and serving her teammates, Nora has been a huge part of the high-flying Eagles attack.  

Melinda Lukas: Hitting her stride this season, Lukas has tallied 6 goals on the year. Placing 15 shots on goal, she finishes over 55% of the time. The 2nd leading scorer on the team overall, she comes up big when it matters, leading the team in game winning goals (4). She uses her speed and athleticism to her advantage.  

Alana McShane: In her debut season, has earned a starting role and provides a lot of stability in the back line.  The backbone of the defense, she comes up with big tackles, and is a big presence in the air.  

Renee Nance: Has started in every game this season for the Eagles. Does an excellent job man-marking the opponents key attacking players in the conference. 

Katie Merson: Set the career shut-out record this season (18) with 5 coming this year. Goals Against Average of 1.22 per game this season, she has made a total of 91 saves.  Has played every minute of every match this season.

Participating Schools: 
No. 1 South Alabama (8-0-1 SBC) – The Jaguars enter the tournament having gone undefeated in their last 15 matches (14-0-1) and lead the league in goals scored with 62 in 19 matches.

No. 2 Troy (6-3-0 SBC) – The Trojans swept their final weekend of play to earn 2nd seed.  Leads the league in shutouts this season (11).

No. 3 Texas State (5-3-1 SBC)  Finished regular season tied with Georgia Southern and played the Eagles to a draw in the regular season. Earned the 3 seed based on the second tie-breaker which looks at head-to-head records against the top seeded teams.

No. 4 Georgia Southern (5-3-1 SBC) Coming off their best season record since 2002.  A first year member of the Sun Belt Conference. Will play App State in the opening round marking the 2nd consecutive match these two teams have faced off. The Eagles blanked the Mountaineers 2-0 in their previous meeting.

No. 5 Appalachian State (5-4-0 SBC) Looking to avenge the loss to Georgia Southern in the regular season finale.  A first year member of the Sun Belt Conference.

No. 6 Georgia State (4-4-1 SBC) Tied with UL Lafayette in the regular season, but defeated the Cajuns head-to-head to earn the 6th seed.  Leads the league in fouls, averaging 10.37 a game.

No. 7 UL Lafayette (4-4-1 SBC)  Lost in a tie-break to Georgia State for the 6th seed despite identical conference records. Ranked 4th in the league in saves with 4.67 per game.

No. 8 UALR (2-6-1 SBC) Will look to hand South Alabama their first loss in 16 matches as they challenge the top-seeded team in the opening round. Ranks 2nd in the league on shots, averaging 16.89 per game.

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