Louisiana Soccer Match 15 Preview: vs. South Alabama

FOLEY, Ala. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Soccer team looks to advance to its first-ever Sun Belt Conference Championship match when it faces defending league champion South Alabama in a semifinal contest on Friday at the Foley Sports Complex.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. The match will be available on ESPN+ with live stats for the match available at CajunStats.com. The winner between Louisiana (9-4-1) and South Alabama (8-3-1) will advance to Sunday's championship match that is set for 1 p.m.

Louisiana opened play in the SBC Championships on Wednesday with a 3-0 quarterfinal win over Coastal Carolina behind goals from freshmen Hailey Hoffmann, Mya Smith and Alyssa Abbott. The freshmen tandem of Lauryn Starwood and Carly Dean combined to post Louisiana's school-record ninth clean sheet of the year while helping lead the Ragin' Cajuns to their second consecutive appearance in the semifinals.

South Alabama reached the semifinals after a hard-fought contest against Little Rock. The Jaguars earned the victory on penalty kicks, 4-3, with Tilly Wilkes' attempt on the final attempt providing the difference.

Louisiana earned a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over South Alabama in the previous meeting between the schools on Sept. 6 at the Foley Sports Complex. Lizzie Mayfield's equalizer with just over one minute remaining in regulation sent the match to overtime before Abbott sealed the victory with her first career goal in the 107^th minute.

MATCH INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (9-4-1) vs. SOUTH ALABAMA (8-3-1)
Date / Time: November 6, 2020 / 4 p.m.
Site: Foley, Ala.
Stadium: Foley Sports Complex (Grass)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Lance Key (Trinity, 2000)
Record at Louisiana: 18-12-4 (second season); Overall Record: 227-33-21 (14th season)

SOUTH ALABAMA
Head Coach: Richard Moodie (Carson Newman, 2006)
Record at USA: 46-22-6 (fourth season); Overall Record: 94-61-13 (ninth season)

VIDEO/LIVE STATS/SOCIAL UPDATES
Video: ESPN+
Talent: Will Haskett (pbp), Brad Hauter (color)
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSOC
Hashtag: #GeauxCajuns / #LAvsUSA / #SunBeltWSoc

SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: South Alabama leads, 10-5-7
At Lafayette: South Alabama leads, 6-1-3
At Mobile: Series tied, 3-3-4
Neutral Sites: Series tied, 1-1-0
Streak: Louisiana +1
Last Meeting: Louisiana, 2-1 (9/6/20 at Foley, Ala.)

MATCH NOTES
JUST FOR KICKS ...
• Louisiana enters the Sun Belt Conference Women's Soccer Championships with the best two-year record (18-12-4) in school history.
• The No. 2 seed in the West Division is Louisiana's best-ever seed eclipsing the No. 3 seed in the 2013 tournament.
• Louisiana's 3-0 victory over Coastal Carolina in the SBC Quarterfinals on Wednesday was its second post-season win in school history and its second in the month of November.
• The win over the Chanticleers improved Louisiana's all-time record in the month of November to 2-16 with both wins coming under head coach Lance Key.
• All three goals in Louisiana's victory were scored by freshmen – Hailey Hoffmann, Mya Smith and Alyssa Abbott.
• Abbott's goal was the second of her career with both coming at the Foley Sports Complex. Abbott scored the game-winner in a 2-1 double-overtime victory over South Alabama on Sept. 6.
• Hoffmann tied a single-season, school-record with her third game-winning goal of the season.
• The Ragin' Cajuns 57 points scored (21 goals, 22 assists) during the 2020 season is sixth nationally.
• Entering the SBC Championships, Louisiana ranks fifth nationally in total assists, is ninth in total goals and goals against average (0.67).
• Louisiana had its school-record streak of 724 minutes without allowing a goal snapped in the 12th minute of the regular-season finale at Arkansas State on Sept. 25. Louisiana's last goal allowed prior to the re-match at A-State came in the 28th minute against the Red Wolves on Sept. 24.
• Lizzie Mayfield ranks No. 3 nationally in total points (15) and total assists (5).
• The Ragin' Cajuns return 15 letterwinners from a squad that posted a 9-8-3 record in 2019 and reached the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championships for the first time in school history.
• Karleen Bedre's five-point performance against ULM on Sept. 27 (2G, 1A) is tied for the most by a Sun Belt Conference player during the 2020 season.
• Alex Augustyn's two-assist match against Louisiana Tech was the first for a Ragin' Cajuns player since Kobi McNutt against Georgia Southern on Oct. 25, 2019.

BENDING THE BALL ...
• The match against South Alabama will be the 23^rd between the rivals and the second-longest series in Ragin' Cajuns history. Louisiana has faced Arkansas State more times (24) than any opponent in school history.
• Louisiana's Lizzie Mayfield has been credited with a goal and assist in four matches in 2020 (Abilene Christian, South Alabama, Little Rock, ULM).
• Louisiana's two goals scored against Abilene Christian equaled the most by the Ragin' Cajuns in a season-opener since a 2-1 win at McNeese State on Aug. 21, 2012.
• Mayfield's three points (goal, assist) against Abilene Christian equaled the most by a Ragin' Cajun in a season-opener since Courtney Hofland's three points at Houston in 2006.
• Two of Mayfield's team-high five assists have come on corner kicks.
• Louisiana leads the Sun Belt Conference in corner kicks (78).

THROW-INS ...
• Gwen Mummert has started in all 52 career matches she has played in.
• Mummert, a 2019 All-Sun Belt Conference defender and All-Region selection, has played in 1,283 of a possible 1,297 minutes on the pitch this season.
• Mummert joins Una Einarsdottir, Julianne DeBlieux and Ashley Newland as team captains for the 2020 season.
• DeBlieux, the current President of the UL Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was named to the 2020 UL Homecoming Court. The annual Homecoming game is scheduled for Saturday in Lafayette against Arkansas State.
• With 27 career points, Einarsdottir and Karleen Bedre are each one point shy of cracking into the top-10 in scoring in Ragin' Cajuns history.
• With her next goal, Einarsdottir can move into a tie for eighth-place in school history with Ashley Delahoussaye (12, 2000-03).
• The announcement of Lizzie Mayfield (offense) and Jordan Higgins (defense) as Sun Belt Conference Players of the Week on Sept. 9 marked the first time in school history Louisiana swept the weekly honors.
• Louisiana earned its second sweep of the Sun Belt Player of the Week awards on Oct. 21 with the announcement of Una Einarsdottir (offense) and Lauryn Starwood (defense).

SAVES AND CLEAN SHEETS ...
• Louisiana's nine shutouts in 2020 set a new school record that was previously set last season under head coach Lance Key.
• Goalkeeper Jordan Higgins posted the first shutout in her Ragin' Cajuns debut since Alexias Stricklin stopped seven shots in a 1-0 win over Sam Houston State in 2014.
• Higgins became just the second goalkeeper in school history to earn SBC Player of the Week honors and the first since Liza Preseault on Oct. 1, 2002.
• Lauryn Starwood's 0.45 goals against average and .882 save percentage (4 GAA, 30 Svs.) are second in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Starwood earned her first career start in against Arkansas State on Sept. 24 after Higgins was a late scratch.
• Starwood earned her first collegiate win on Sept. 27 against ULM and combined with fellow true freshman Carly Dean on a shutout.

UP NEXT
• A win would send the Ragin' Cajuns to their first-ever Sun Belt Conference Championship match.
• The SBC Championship is scheduled for Sunday (Nov. 8) at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

LOUISIANA HONORED WITH USC TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Soccer team was one of 941 college teams recognized by the United Soccer Coaches as the Team Academic Award winners were recently announced by the organization.
• College Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program with a composite grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for all players on the roster for the 2019-20 academic year.
• The award for Louisiana was its 11th overall since the program's inception in 2000. The Ragin' Cajuns earned the Team Academic Award in the following years: 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019.

Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsSOC), Instagram (@RaginCajuns_SOC) and Facebook (Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Soccer) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana soccer updates.

Louisiana Soccer Match 15 Preview: vs. South Alabama

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Players Mentioned

Alyssa Abbott

Alex Augustyn

Karleen Bedre

Carly Dean

Julianne DeBlieux

Una Einarsdottir

Jordan Higgins

Hailey Hoffmann

Lizzie Mayfield

Kobi McNutt

Gwen Mummert

Ashley Newland

Mya Smith

Lauryn Starwood

Alexias Stricklin

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