Southern Miss Blanks ULM to Clinch Sun Belt Championship Berth

Sunday, November 1

Monroe, La. / Brown Stadium

1 p.m.

Southern Miss

7-6-4, 4-4-2

ULM

5-12-2, 2-7-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Southern Miss.	1	0	1
ULM	0	0	0

11/1/2026 4:03:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

MONROE, La. – Southern Miss soccer (7-6-4, 4-4-2 SBC) made its regular-season finale count Sunday afternoon, shutting out ULM (5-12-2, 2-7-1 SBC), 1-0, at Brown Stadium to secure a place in the Sun Belt Conference Championship.

Alessia Navarro provided the difference early. After forcing a save in the seventh minute, Navarro broke through in the eighth off a feed from Ava Bynes, finishing for her second goal of the season and giving Southern Miss the lead it would carry the rest of the afternoon.

ULM applied pressure throughout the opening half, but Logan McGruder and the Golden Eagle back line stood firm. McGruder made three saves before the break as Southern Miss took its 1-0 advantage into halftime. The Golden Eagles tightened things even further after the restart, holding the Warhawks to just one second-half shot and no attempts on goal over the final 45 minutes.

Southern Miss generated four shots of its own after halftime and continued to push for separation, but the early goal proved to be enough. McGruder finished with three saves to earn the clean sheet, while Argentina Estrada, Eduarda Flores Fuculo, Georgia Gray, Ryan Smith and Shaelynn Quick each went the full 90 minutes. The shutout was Southern Miss' fifth of the season and its third 1-0 road victory in Sun Belt play.

Sunday's result also put a new stamp on the program's Sun Belt era. Southern Miss finishes conference play with a program-best 14 points and four league victories, surpassing the previous highs of 12 points and three wins. The Golden Eagles' seven overall victories are also the most in a season since joining the Sun Belt in 2022.

The win carried some additional history in Monroe. Southern Miss earned its first victory over ULM as Sun Belt opponents, its first win in the series since 2018 and its first victory at Brown Stadium since 2017.

More importantly, the Golden Eagles took care of what they could control in a crowded postseason race. Results around the league leave Southern Miss with the eighth and final spot in the Sun Belt Championship field at 14 points. The berth sends the Golden Eagles back to Foley for the first time since 2023 and gives Coach Danny Owens' group postseason soccer in his first season at Southern Miss.

Up Next

Southern Miss advances to the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Championship at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Ala. Quarterfinal play begins Monday, Nov. 9, with the Golden Eagles' opponent and match time to be finalized with the official tournament bracket.

For more information and to stay up to date with the Golden Eagles, visit SouthernMiss.com and follow Southern Miss soccer on Twitter (@SouthernMissSOC) and Instagram (@southernmisssoccer).

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