FOLEY, Ala. – Second-seeded Old Dominion and fifth-seeded South Alabama earned dramatic semifinal victories to advance to the title match of the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Championship on Wednesday evening at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex.
Old Dominion advances to its third Sun Belt women’s soccer championship match in the last five seasons and its first since 2023, while South Alabama will play in the finale for the 10th time in program history and first time since completing a string of three-straight championships in 2021.
The championship match kicks off Saturday, November 14 at 7 p.m., and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
(2) Old Dominion 1, (3) App State 0 (Box Score)
After playing to a scoreless draw during their regular season meeting, the Monarchs and Mountaineers remained locked in a stalemate for the first 45 minutes of the night. Old Dominion took four shots, including one shot on goal, while App State took no shot attempts but earned one corner kick chance in the opening half.
The Monarchs broke through early in the second half on their first corner kick of the evening, as second year midfielder Koto Davis lofted a cross into the box that was headed into the net by second year forward Ashley Economopoulos near the back post for the first goal of the match early in the 50th minute.
App State produced a golden opportunity just seven minutes later after a loose ball cleared by Old Dominion rolled approximately 30 yards out but was played back into the box by the Mountaineers. The re-entry pass was redirected by App State second year defender Maddie Williams’ left foot at close range, but a diving, one-handed save by Monarchs goalkeeper fourth year Ellie Goodrich was just enough to push the ball to the outside of the goal post to keep ODU in front.
The Mountaineers continued to apply pressure in the latter minutes of the match, but Old Dominion’s defense remained resilient, allowing just one more shot that was off target to close out its 11th shutout of the year.
The Monarchs owned an 11-2 shot advantage, while App State earned a 4-3 edge in corner kick chances.
(5) South Alabama 2, (1) James Madison 1 (OT) (Box Score)
James Madison was the early aggressor in the first half before the Dukes worked an offensive possession with a progression of passes from one sideline to another before landing with fourth year forward Samantha DeGuzman. She made a run down the near sideline before centering a lining cross to fourth year striker Ginny Lackey who redirected the pass with her body and into the corner of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute.
South Alabama countered with a series of deep runs into the JMU defense before finding an equalizer in the 26th minute. Third year forward Zamiyah Hill made a charge into the box with possession before stopping her momentum, turning around and touching a pass to the top center of the box where freshman midfielder Julie Dirom one-timed a shot into the upper left corner of the net to even the score, 1-1.
Both teams took five shots in the first half, while the Dukes put four on target compared to just one by the Jaguars, as the score remained level at halftime.
The final 20 minutes of the second half turned into a seesaw battle of offensive attacks at both ends of the field with big saves by both goalkeepers. South Alabama took advantage of a turnover at midfield late in the 86th minute, as fourth year forward Aliya Gomes took possession and raced toward the JMU goal with two defenders trailing her. Gomes fired a shot that was saved and deflected by fourth year goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb and a second shot by fourth year forward Ava Matherne off the rebound was blocked by fifth year center back Soleil Flores to keep the match tied before the match proceeded to overtime.
The Jaguars continued their aggressive offensive tactics in overtime and took full advantage of their first big opportunity in the 97th minute with a corner kick. Matherne launched a high-arching cross to the center of the Dukes’ defense on the set piece chance where Dirom charged and headed a shot past DeCerb and into the net for a golden goal.
2026 Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Championship
Quarterfinals – Monday, November 9
Match 1 – (3) App State def. (6) Louisiana, 1-0
Match 2 – (2) Old Dominion def. (7) Marshall, 5-1
Match 3 – (5) South Alabama def. (4) Georgia State, 2-1
Match 4 – (1) James Madison def. (8) Southern Miss, 2-0
Semifinals – Wednesday, November 11
Match 5 – (2) Old Dominion def. (3) App State, 1-0
Match 6 – (5) South Alabama def. (1) James Madison, 2-1 (OT)
Championship – Saturday, November 14
Match 7 – (2) Old Dominion vs. (5) South Alabama, 7 p.m. CT