FOLEY, Ala. – No. 5 seed James Madison defeated No. 1 seed South Alabama 1-0 to repeat an appearance in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship.
 
The Dukes (9-3-8) advance to the championship match for the second consecutive year on Sunday, November 5 at 1 p.m. CST at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Ala. In a rematch of the finals last season, they will face No. 2 seed Old Dominion for the title. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
South Alabama (16-1-3) outshot James Madison 13-7 over the course of the match and led 4-3 in shots at the half. The battle in the midfield led to a low shot count as the match went into halftime tied 0-0.
 
Despite chances on frame for both teams, the Dukes broke through in the 70th minute to take a 1-0 lead. Lexi Vanderlinden drove into the 18 and a cross to Sophia Verrecchia gave James Madison the 1-0 advantage.
 
The final nine minutes of the match saw South Alabama exclusively in the offensive half. The Jaguars launched five shots in the final moments of the match, as Alexandra Blom secured the shutout. The match ended on a corner for South Alabama that brought Blom off her line to secure the Dukes a spot in the title match.