Southern Miss Draws with Southeastern in Home Opener

Thursday, August 27

Marshall Bell Track & Field/Soccer Complex

4 p.m.

Southern Miss

1-2-1, 0-0-0

Southeastern

3-1-1, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Southeastern La.	1	1	2
Southern Miss.	1	1	2

Southern Miss Draws with Southeastern in Home Opener

8/27/2026 7:06:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's soccer (1-2-1) earned a 2-2 draw with Southeastern Louisiana (3-1-1) Thursday night in head coach Danny Owens' home debut at Marshall Bell Track & Field/Soccer Complex. The Golden Eagles bounced back from two straight road losses, taking a point at home after a dramatic late equalizer that capped an intense second-half performance.

Ava Bynes opened the scoring for Southern Miss at 22', assisted by Ryan Smith to give the Golden Eagles an early advantage. Southeastern answered quickly, with Kaitlyn Tung equalizing at 31' to tie the match heading into halftime at 1-1. The first half featured competitive soccer from both sides, but Southern Miss controlled much of the tempo.

The second half told a different story. Southeastern took the lead when Shae Kuntz scored at 56' with an assist from Charlotte Lewis, putting the Lions ahead 2-1. But Southern Miss refused to fold. The Golden Eagles unleashed offensive pressure in the closing minutes, creating chance after chance. That relentless pursuit paid off when Ryan Smith converted a penalty kick at 85' to equalize at 2-2 and secure the draw.

Southern Miss dominated the final 45 minutes, registering 11 shots and six corner kicks compared to Southeastern's four shots. Logan McGruder made three saves to keep the team competitive while Southeastern's Kendall Curran had four saves. Bynes and Smith were dangerous throughout, while Tribolet, Werema, and Taylor created multiple opportunities. The effort and resilience shown Thursday after the road losses provided a positive start to the home schedule.

Up Next

Southern Miss continues its home stretch with Jacksonville State on Thursday, September 3 at 4 p.m. at Marshall Bell Track & Field/Soccer Complex, followed by Southern on Sunday, September 6 at 2 p.m. Admission is free.

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

– #SMTTT –