University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
No.1 James Madison
11/8/2026 1:09:00 PM | Women's Soccer
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss soccer (7-6-4, 4-4-2 SBC) begins postseason play Monday night when the eighth-seeded Golden Eagles face No. 1 seed James Madison (9-5-3, 7-1-2 SBC) in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Championship at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex. First kick is set for 7 p.m. CT.
Game Details
Monday, Nov. 9 - 7 p.m. CT
Foley, Ala. - Foley Sports Tourism Complex
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Southern Miss arrives in Foley after a regular season that raised the standard for the program's Sun Belt era. In the first season under Coach Danny Owens, the Golden Eagles established new program highs since joining the conference with four league victories and 14 Sun Belt points. Their seven overall wins are also the most Southern Miss has recorded in a season since moving into the league in 2022.
The Golden Eagles secured their place in the eight-team field on the final day of the regular season. Alessia Navarro scored in the eighth minute at ULM off an Ava Bynes assist, and Southern Miss protected the advantage for a 1-0 win that punched its ticket to Foley. It was the Golden Eagles' fifth clean sheet of the season and their third 1-0 conference victory on the road.
Bynes enters the postseason leading Southern Miss with six goals, three assists and 15 points, while Shaelynn Quick follows with five goals and 10 points. Quick's impact at both ends of the field was recognized Thursday when the redshirt senior defender earned Third-Team All-Sun Belt honors. Lorilee Taylor leads the Golden Eagles with four assists, while Olivia Tribolet has added three goals and two assists.
Monday also brings Southern Miss back to the opponent it saw in its Sun Belt opener. James Madison earned a 5-0 result in Hattiesburg on Sept. 18, but the Golden Eagles responded by going 4-3-2 over their final nine conference matches and collecting all 14 of their league points during that stretch. Southern Miss earned wins at Arkansas State, against Louisiana Tech, at South Alabama and at ULM while fighting its way into the postseason race and eventually into the tournament field.
James Madison enters Foley as the top seed after sharing the Sun Belt regular-season championship with Old Dominion at 23 points and winning the tiebreaker for the No. 1 position. The Dukes have gone unbeaten in their last seven matches and are led offensively by Ginny Lackey, who has 15 goals, three assists and 33 points this season. JMU won the Sun Belt regular-season and tournament championships in 2024 and returns to Foley looking to add another postseason run.
The Dukes hold a 2-0-1 advantage in the all-time series, with Monday marking the first postseason and first neutral-site meeting between the programs. Southern Miss earned a scoreless draw against JMU in the first meeting in 2022 before the Dukes claimed the next two contests.
For Southern Miss, Monday marks its third appearance in the Sun Belt Championship and its first trip back to Foley since 2023. The Golden Eagles' previous two appearances both ended in 1-0 decisions against Georgia State in 2022 and 2023, leaving Monday with an opportunity to secure the program's first Sun Belt tournament victory.
The 2026 championship will be contested entirely at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex for the 11th consecutive year. Eight teams remain in the field, with Monday's four quarterfinal winners advancing to Wednesday's semifinals before the championship match Saturday night.
Up Next
The winner of Monday's quarterfinal advances to the Sun Belt Championship semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. CT against the winner of No. 4 Georgia State and No. 5 South Alabama.
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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