HATTIESBURG, Miss. –The Southern Miss women’s soccer team (2-0, 0-0) defeated South Alabama (10-4-1) by a final score of 1-0 on Sunday afternoon in their home opener at the Marshall Bell Track and Field and Soccer Complex.

Sunday’s match was a hard-fought defensive battle between both teams with limited scoring opportunities for each side. Southern Miss took advantage of a golden opportunity when senior midfielder Jenny Caracheo found the back of the net with 10:52 remaining in the first half. Caracheo’s unassisted goal in the first half proved to be enough to propel Southern Miss to victory thanks to a combination of lockdown defensive and outstanding goal keeping by the Golden Eagles. The game-winning goal marks the fifth of the Royse City, Texas native’s Southern Miss career.

Senior goalkeeper Kendell Mindnich and redshirt junior goalkeeper Sarah Preston were both clutch for the Golden Eagles in the net as they combined for a clean sheet. Mindnich commanded the net the entire first half and finished the day with three saves. She also earned the win. Preston took over in the second half and tallied four saves in the contest.

The Golden Eagles took a total of eight shots (five on target) and finished the match with a 3-2 advantage over the Jaguars in the corner kicks column.

Southern Miss will be back in action on Friday, February 19 when they travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on LSU. Friday’s match is scheduled to kickoff at 6:00 p.m. (CT) at the LSU Soccer Stadium on the campus of LSU.