FOLEY, Ala. - The South Alabama Jaguars clinched their fifth consecutive Sun Belt Women's Soccer championship crown on Sunday with a 5-0 win over Coastal Carolina at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Ala. The five consecutive championship titles breaks the previous record of four consecutive held by the Jaguars and Denver.
The Jaguars were dominate from the start of the tournament until the very end with impressive performances in all three matches. The Jaguars blanked all three opponents and outscored the opposition, 11-0, through three matches. USA has shutout seven consecutive opponents dating back to the 2015 Sun Belt Women's Soccer Championship and has done so in back-to-back championships.
USA (14-5-1) will await its fate, as the 2017 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship bracket will be announced on Monday, Nov. 6 at 3:30 p.m. (CT) on NCAA.com.
The 2017 Sun Belt Women's Soccer Player of the Year, Rio Hardy, continued her seasonal success in the tournament, finishing the three matches with 15 shots, 12 points and four goals. She was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer and becomes the fourth student-athlete in the last five years to earn both Player of the Year and Most Outstanding Performer honors.
Hardy picked up two goals in Sunday's championship. Danielle Henley, Kory Dixon and Steffi Hardy tallied the other goals for the Jaguars. All three were named to the All-Tournament team, including Justice Stanford who posted three shutouts during the 2017 tournament.
Henley had the game-winner for the Jags, scoring the first goal in the match's seventh minute. Henley headed in the goal off a cross by Dixon. Dixon matched Henley's strike just five-minutes later with a goal off a Chelsea Followell assist. Rio Hardy's first goal came in the 19th-minute of action off Dixon's assist.
Hardy's sister, Steffi, got into the action early in the second half with an unassisted goal in the 54th-minute. Rio Hardy claimed her second goal of the match in the 88th-minute of Charde Hannah's assist to close out the scoring.
USA outshot the Chanticleers 19-9 in the match and finished with 51for the tournament to lead all teams. Ten of the 19 shots were on goal for the Jaguars compared to four for CCU.
CCU's season comes to an end as the runner-up for a second consecutive season. The Chants finished 11-8-1.
Four members of the Chants earned All-Tournament honors as Kayla Christian, Lauren Dabner, Daniella Famili and Mackenzie Gibbs were named to the team following the championship.
Gibbs and Famili led the Chants in the championship with seven shots, three on goal, for CCU.
2017 All-Tournament Team
Sarah Price, Georgia Southern
Jaclyn Purvine, Little Rock
Kayla Christian, Coastal Carolina
Daniella Famili, Coastal Carolina
Mackenzie Gibbs, Coastal Carolina
Lauren Dabner, Coastal Carolina
Kory Dixon, South Alabama
Rio Hardy, South Alabama
Steffi Hardy, South Alabama
Danielle Henley, South Alabama
Justice Stanford, South Alabama
2017 Most Outstanding Performer
Rio Hardy, South Alabama