Southern Miss
Alabama
Black And Gold Travel To The Crimson Tide For Fourth Match Of The Season
8/28/2021 4:35:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Hattiesburg, Miss. – The Southern Miss soccer program travels east to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on the University of Alabama for its fourth game of the season on Sunday, Aug. 29, at 1 p.m inside the Alabama Soccer Stadium.
"The strength of our schedule is to propel our young team into working as one. Sticking together," assistant coach J.P. Valadares said. "Alabama is a strong side that will demand attention to details from all of our players, and we are looking forward to Sunday afternoon in Tuscaloosa."
Captain Kendell Mindnich noted "The team is excited for what will be our third SEC competition this season. We have been taking every game one at a time and are seeing continuous growth all over the field. Looking forward to a hard battle tomorrow!"
Series History: The Crimson Tide lead the series, 4-1-0, with the matchups starting in 1997.
Last Meeting: The Golden Eagles and Crimson Tide last met in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Sep. 13, 2015, as Alabama won, 1-0.
Last Time In Hattiesburg: Southern Miss and Alabama previously met in Hattiesburg, Miss. on Oct. 27, 1999. The Black and Gold won the match 4-3 in overtime as McReynolds scored 32 seconds into the extra period. The match saw the first goal in the sixth minute with USM's Hall scoring the opener. Alabama then took netted twice, in the 31st and 42nd minutes taking a 2-1 lead. With two strokes until the break, Golden Eagle, Canham slotted it past the goalkeeper for a 2-2 scoreline at the half. USM's Hall struck again in the 71st minute only for Alabama to net an equalizer in the 76th minute. McReynolds then only needed 32 seconds in overtime to secure the win for Southern Miss.
All-Around Ariel: Senior Ariel Diaz opened her account for the 2021 season netting twice against Nicholls, on Thursday, Aug. 26. The Texas native also added an assist to her name when Ilana Izquierdo scored in the 33rd minute. Diaz, the reigning C-USA Offensive Player of the Year and marked to take home the award again this season after being selected as the preseason favorite by the conference. She is looking to add to her scoring record against SEC opponents as she previously netted against Auburn in 2019.
Captain Kendell: Senior Kendell Mindnich added her second clean sheet of the season after a thrilling, 8-0, home win over Nicholls. The Floridian has four saves on the season, leading the squad to an offensively-minded style of play. This is her fourth season as the first-choice keeper for the Golden Eagles.
Freshman On Fire: Southern Miss freshmen, Ryan Smith, Ilana Izquierdo, Mia Sadler, and Technayda Cobyte dominate the Golden Eagles offense with all scoring their first collegiate goals in the last two matches. Smith grabbed the overtime winner at Grambling State in the 96th minute. Izquierdo started her collegiate career in style with a pair of goals and an assist against Nicholls. Cobyte saw her scoring book inked with a 54th-minute goal and an assist, with Sadler also netting her first.
For Southern Miss Soccer updates, follow the team's Twitter account, @SouthernMissSoc, and check the main athletics site at SouthernMiss.com.
