FOLEY, Ala. – No. 1 overall seed and 2023 Regular Season Champions South Alabama defeated No. 8 seed Texas State 2-1 to return to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Semifinals.
 
The Jaguars (16-0-3) advance to the semifinal match on, November 3 at 7 p.m. CST at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Ala. South Alabama leads the league with eight tournament titles. They will face No. 5 seed James Madison. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
South Alabama scored the first goal of the match as Monique Gray scored her second goal of the season with assists from Jasmine Greene and Abby Jacobs in the tenth minute for an early 1-0 lead. The Jaguars outshot the Bobcats 7-4 in the first half and carried the lead after the first 45 minutes.
 
Texas State (9-7-4) responded 1:40 into the second half as Mya Ulloa scored her third goal of the season with assists from Olivia Wright and Wimberley Wright to level the score. Three minutes later, South Alabama reclaimed the lead on a shot just inside the 18 from Chiara Singarella for her nineth of the season.
 
Despite outshooting the Jaguars 8-7 in the second half, the Bobcats were unable to find a second equalizer. Freshman Caitlyn Draper tallied five saves in goal for Texas State, as Jaidy Gutierrez Campos secured four saves for South Alabama.
 
Texas State held a 53-47 advantage in time of possession throughout the match and led 5-3 in corners. South Alabama placed seven of its 14 shots on frame and held 70% of their possession in the midfield.