University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, November 4
Norfolk, Va.
10:00 AM (CT)
Southern Miss
vs
University of North Texas (CHAMPIONSHIP)
Southern Miss Women’s Soccer Gears Up For C-USA Tournament Title Match
11/3/2018 6:53:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The Golden Eagles will face No. 1 seed North Texas in the school’s first-ever C-USA Tournament Title match appearance on Sunday
ESPN+ LINK
LIVE STATS
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss women's soccer team (13-5-1, 5-4-1 C-USA) will face No. 1 seed North Texas (14-2-3, 8-1-1 C-USA) in the 2018 Air Force Reserve Women's Soccer Championship Title Match at 11:00 a.m. (ET)/10:00 a.m. (CT) on Sunday, November 4. The match will be played at the Old Dominion Soccer Complex in Norfolk, Va.
The last time out
In their last match, No. 6 seed Southern Miss defeated No. 2 seed FAU in a 1-0 thriller in the semifinal round of the C-USA Tournament.
The match was a tough battle between both teams the entire 90 minutes of play.
Although the Golden Eagles earned just one corner kick in the match, senior midfielder Stephanie Garcia made it count.
Garcia took the corner kick and cashed it in on a beautifully spun curl shot that found its way to the back of the net past FAU goalkeeper Jennifer Ocampo, one of the most talented goalkeepers in Conference USA.
Garcia's goal that came just before the end of the first half at the 41:28 mark in the match, gave the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead that they would not relinquish.
One goal proved to be all that Southern Miss needed in the match due to their lockdown defense and the outstanding goalkeeping of Kendell Mindnich.
With their semifinal win against FAU on Friday, Southern Miss notched their 13th win of the season, setting a new single-season program record for overall wins.
The Golden Eagles' backline turned in their 11th shutout of the season, breaking their own single-season program record.
Mindnich registered her seventh shutout of the season and became Southern Miss' all-time single-season individual shutouts leader. The sophomore broke the previous school record of six individual single-season shutouts set by Anna Snyder in 2003.
Mindnich on becoming Southern Miss' all-time single-season individual shutouts leader
"Breaking this record is only one example of how great this season has been. I cannot thank my teammates and coaches enough for pushing me to success this year. This season has changed me as a person and as a player and it's only the beginning of what this team and I can do in the future for this program."
Breaking down the all-time record
North Texas leads the all-time series 3-0-1. The Golden Eagles are 0-2-0 when facing the Mean Green at home in Hattiesburg, Miss. and 0-1-1 in road contests played in Denton, Texas. Sunday's title match will mark the first time that Southern Miss and North Texas have faced each other at a neutral site.
The last meeting on the pitch
The last meeting between Southern Miss and North Texas on the pitch occurred on September 20, 2018 at the Southern Miss Soccer Complex in Hattiesburg. The Mean Green won the contest by a final score of 3-0, marking the first conference loss of the season for the Golden Eagles.
The Mean Green netted two goals in the first half courtesy of senior defender Carissa Sanders and sophomore forward Berklee Peters. Senior forward Taylor Torres capped off the scoring for North Texas by adding an insurance goal late in the match at the 80:57 mark.
Southern Miss finished the match with a 5-4 corner kicks advantage over North Texas and Southern Miss goalkeeper Kendell Mindnich recorded a career-high seven saves.
The opponent
North Texas is led by head coach John Hedlund. Hedlund has been the head coach of the North Texas women's soccer program since its inception in 1995.
The Mean Green finished the 2018 regular season as C-USA Regular Season Co-Champions along with FAU.
Since joining C-USA in 2013, the Mean Green have claimed six combined C-USA titles (regular season and tournament).
In their last match played, North Texas came away with a narrow 3-2 victory over No. 4 seed Louisiana Tech in the semifinal round of the 2018 Air Force Reserve Women's Soccer Championship.
With the match tied 1-1 at the end of double overtime, the Mean Green and the Lady Techsters went into a penalty kick shootout, in which the Mean Green prevailed.
North Texas redshirt freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Brann came up with three critical saves in the match, propelling her team to the title match.
What's on the line
After making history by posting their first victory in the semifinal round of the C-USA Women's Soccer Tournament, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles will look to continue their historical season by breaking more records and achieving more milestones.
Sunday will mark the first time that the Southern Miss women's soccer team has appeared in the championship match of the C-USA Women's Soccer Tournament.
A win against North Texas on Sunday would give Southern Miss its first C-USA Championship in women's soccer and its first berth in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
A Southern Miss win would also mark the 14th of the season for the women's soccer program which would be a new single-season program record.
If the Golden Eagles are able to shutout the Mean Green in the title match, it would mark their 12th shutout of the season, meaning a new single-season program record for Southern Miss.
Southern Miss goalkeeper Kendell Mindnich who became the school's all-time single-season individual shutouts leader on Friday night will have the opportunity to extend her record to eight shutouts on Sunday.
Southern Miss head women's soccer coach Mohammed El-Zare on the Golden Eagles' success this season
"We had a core group of young players last year that gained a lot of experience by being able to play a lot of minutes and they came back seasoned this year ready to lead this program. From day one, our focus has been to get our culture right because that is how you have success as a program both on and off of the field. Our core values are to make sure that we respect the game, hold each other accountable, stay disciplined, and to care for one another beyond the field. Our players have really bought into these values and that is what allows us to have success. You have to show up every day and put in an honest day's work. The game will know if you are giving your best or not and in critical moments, you will be tested."
The Golden Eagles have more than paid their dues this season and they have laid the groundwork that is required to have success. Although they find themselves in unchartered territory as they prepare to enter the C-USA Title Match for the first time in program history, they have proven time and time again that no stage is too big for them and that they are prepared to handle the most critical moments.
In addition to the ESPN+/live stats links provided, fans can follow the tournament action via live updates through the official Southern Miss soccer Twitter account (@SouthernMissSoc).
ESPN+ requires a paid subscription in order to view streamed events. Monthly subscriptions can be purchased for $4.99.
LIVE STATS
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss women's soccer team (13-5-1, 5-4-1 C-USA) will face No. 1 seed North Texas (14-2-3, 8-1-1 C-USA) in the 2018 Air Force Reserve Women's Soccer Championship Title Match at 11:00 a.m. (ET)/10:00 a.m. (CT) on Sunday, November 4. The match will be played at the Old Dominion Soccer Complex in Norfolk, Va.
The last time out
In their last match, No. 6 seed Southern Miss defeated No. 2 seed FAU in a 1-0 thriller in the semifinal round of the C-USA Tournament.
The match was a tough battle between both teams the entire 90 minutes of play.
Although the Golden Eagles earned just one corner kick in the match, senior midfielder Stephanie Garcia made it count.
Garcia took the corner kick and cashed it in on a beautifully spun curl shot that found its way to the back of the net past FAU goalkeeper Jennifer Ocampo, one of the most talented goalkeepers in Conference USA.
Garcia's goal that came just before the end of the first half at the 41:28 mark in the match, gave the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead that they would not relinquish.
One goal proved to be all that Southern Miss needed in the match due to their lockdown defense and the outstanding goalkeeping of Kendell Mindnich.
With their semifinal win against FAU on Friday, Southern Miss notched their 13th win of the season, setting a new single-season program record for overall wins.
The Golden Eagles' backline turned in their 11th shutout of the season, breaking their own single-season program record.
Mindnich registered her seventh shutout of the season and became Southern Miss' all-time single-season individual shutouts leader. The sophomore broke the previous school record of six individual single-season shutouts set by Anna Snyder in 2003.
Mindnich on becoming Southern Miss' all-time single-season individual shutouts leader
"Breaking this record is only one example of how great this season has been. I cannot thank my teammates and coaches enough for pushing me to success this year. This season has changed me as a person and as a player and it's only the beginning of what this team and I can do in the future for this program."
Breaking down the all-time record
North Texas leads the all-time series 3-0-1. The Golden Eagles are 0-2-0 when facing the Mean Green at home in Hattiesburg, Miss. and 0-1-1 in road contests played in Denton, Texas. Sunday's title match will mark the first time that Southern Miss and North Texas have faced each other at a neutral site.
The last meeting on the pitch
The last meeting between Southern Miss and North Texas on the pitch occurred on September 20, 2018 at the Southern Miss Soccer Complex in Hattiesburg. The Mean Green won the contest by a final score of 3-0, marking the first conference loss of the season for the Golden Eagles.
The Mean Green netted two goals in the first half courtesy of senior defender Carissa Sanders and sophomore forward Berklee Peters. Senior forward Taylor Torres capped off the scoring for North Texas by adding an insurance goal late in the match at the 80:57 mark.
Southern Miss finished the match with a 5-4 corner kicks advantage over North Texas and Southern Miss goalkeeper Kendell Mindnich recorded a career-high seven saves.
The opponent
North Texas is led by head coach John Hedlund. Hedlund has been the head coach of the North Texas women's soccer program since its inception in 1995.
The Mean Green finished the 2018 regular season as C-USA Regular Season Co-Champions along with FAU.
Since joining C-USA in 2013, the Mean Green have claimed six combined C-USA titles (regular season and tournament).
In their last match played, North Texas came away with a narrow 3-2 victory over No. 4 seed Louisiana Tech in the semifinal round of the 2018 Air Force Reserve Women's Soccer Championship.
With the match tied 1-1 at the end of double overtime, the Mean Green and the Lady Techsters went into a penalty kick shootout, in which the Mean Green prevailed.
North Texas redshirt freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Brann came up with three critical saves in the match, propelling her team to the title match.
What's on the line
After making history by posting their first victory in the semifinal round of the C-USA Women's Soccer Tournament, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles will look to continue their historical season by breaking more records and achieving more milestones.
Sunday will mark the first time that the Southern Miss women's soccer team has appeared in the championship match of the C-USA Women's Soccer Tournament.
A win against North Texas on Sunday would give Southern Miss its first C-USA Championship in women's soccer and its first berth in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
A Southern Miss win would also mark the 14th of the season for the women's soccer program which would be a new single-season program record.
If the Golden Eagles are able to shutout the Mean Green in the title match, it would mark their 12th shutout of the season, meaning a new single-season program record for Southern Miss.
Southern Miss goalkeeper Kendell Mindnich who became the school's all-time single-season individual shutouts leader on Friday night will have the opportunity to extend her record to eight shutouts on Sunday.
Southern Miss head women's soccer coach Mohammed El-Zare on the Golden Eagles' success this season
"We had a core group of young players last year that gained a lot of experience by being able to play a lot of minutes and they came back seasoned this year ready to lead this program. From day one, our focus has been to get our culture right because that is how you have success as a program both on and off of the field. Our core values are to make sure that we respect the game, hold each other accountable, stay disciplined, and to care for one another beyond the field. Our players have really bought into these values and that is what allows us to have success. You have to show up every day and put in an honest day's work. The game will know if you are giving your best or not and in critical moments, you will be tested."
The Golden Eagles have more than paid their dues this season and they have laid the groundwork that is required to have success. Although they find themselves in unchartered territory as they prepare to enter the C-USA Title Match for the first time in program history, they have proven time and time again that no stage is too big for them and that they are prepared to handle the most critical moments.
In addition to the ESPN+/live stats links provided, fans can follow the tournament action via live updates through the official Southern Miss soccer Twitter account (@SouthernMissSoc).
ESPN+ requires a paid subscription in order to view streamed events. Monthly subscriptions can be purchased for $4.99.
Players Mentioned
M-F
/ Women's Soccer
GK
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