NEW ORLEANS – The top six teams in the Sun Belt women’s soccer standings stand at least three points ahead of the next six teams - which are all tied for seventh place - entering a full slate of league matches during the fifth week of competition.
 
SIX AT SEVEN
Six Sun Belt teams are gridlocked in seventh place in the conference standings and tied with seven points apiece after last week’s Georgia Southern’s match at South Alabama was postponed until Oct. 29. In addition to those teams, Southern Miss, Troy, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana Tech own records of 2-3-1 in league play through six games. One matchup included in the fifth week of competition pits two of those teams against one another when Southern Miss travels to South Alabama for a match Friday evening at The Cage.
 
TROJANS RISING
Troy is unbeaten in its last three Sun Belt matches, earning home wins over Coastal Carolina (1-0) and Louisiana Tech (4-2) before a draw at Southern Miss (2-2) last Sunday. The Trojans have recorded seven goals in those three contests and six of them have been scored by different players. Fifth-year goalkeeper Taylor Richards has made 18 saves and registered an 82 percent save percentage in the three-game stretch. Troy hosts ULM on Saturday afternoon.
 
LACKEY LONGEVITY
James Madison fourth-year forward Ginny Lackey has scored at least one goal in seven-consecutive matches - the longest such scoring streak by a Sun Belt player this season. The Dukes own a 5-1-1 record in those matches, as Lackey has nine total goals during the spree. The streak is just the second longest of her collegiate career after scoring a goal in nine-straight contests during her debut campaign in 2024. The two-time All-America honoree currently leads the Sun Belt in goals (8), points (17), shots (26) and shots on goal (14) in conference play.
 
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Two Sun Belt forwards - James Madison’s Ginny Lackey and Georgia State’s Aaliyah Faddoul - have eclipsed the 30-goal milestone for their careers this season and continue to climb the conference’s all-time scoring lists. Lackey has now scored at least 10 goals in each of her first three seasons, while Faddoul’s 10 goals this season are a career high. Lackey currently ranks tied for 13th in Sun Belt history in points (86) and tied for 14th in goals (34), as Faddoul is just behind with 82 points and 32 goals. Among active NCAA Division I players, Lackey currently ranks tied ninth and Faddoul stands 12th in career goals, while Lackey’s 86-career points rank eighth among active scorers and Faddoul’s 82 points rank 11th.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Just three Sun Belt teams remain unbeaten on their home fields this season, as Coastal Carolina (6-0-1) hosts Georgia State on Thursday evening in Conway, S.C. The Panthers (7-0-0) and Marshall (4-0-3) are on the road this week, but Marshall is unbeaten in Huntington, W.Va., in 12-consecutive outings (7-0-5) dating back to the end of the 2024 campaign and eight-straight (5-0-4) Sun Belt contests.
 
SUN BELT IN THE RPI
The Sun Belt leads all non-autonomy conference with six teams ranked in the top 100 of the latest NCAA RPI rankings, led by No. 56 Georgia Southern, No. 63 App State, No. 76 Old Dominion, No. 81 James Madison, No. 85 Louisiana and No. 91 Georgia State. The total also gives the Sun Belt the fifth-most top 100 programs among all NCAA Division I conferences, trailing only the ACC (17), Big Ten (14), SEC (14) and Big 12 (12),

WHERE TO WATCH

Date	Time	Matchup	Broadcast
Thurs., Oct. 15	5:00 p.m.	Georgia State at Coastal Carolina	ESPN+
Thurs., Oct. 15	6:00 p.m.	Louisiana Tech at James Madison	ESPN+
Friday, Oct. 16	4:00 p.m.	App State at Arkansas State	ESPN+
Friday, Oct. 16	6:00 p.m.	Southern Miss at South Alabama	ESPN+
Saturday, Oct. 17	5:00 p.m.	ULM at Troy	ESPN+
Sunday, Oct. 18	12:00 p.m.	Georgia Southern at Old Dominion	ESPN+
Sunday, Oct. 18	1:00 p.m.	Marshall at Louisiana	ESPN+

 
FORGING TOWARD FOLEY
The 2026 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Championship will take place November 9-14 in Foley, Ala., marking the 11th-consecutive season the Foley Sports Tourism Complex hosts the event. Eight teams will compete in the tournament beginning with quarterfinal matches on Monday, Nov. 9, followed by semifinal matches on Wednesday, Nov. 11 and the championship on Saturday, Nov. 14. Visit Sunbeltsports.org more information or visit the championship central page.