No. 3 Troy Faces No. 6 Georgia Southern in SBC Tournament

Championship Central

TROY, Alabama – For the second time in four days, the third-seeded Troy soccer team is set to face No. 6 Georgia Southern in a pivotal contest. The sides will face off at 7 p.m. at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Ala., in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

The teams met on Sunday with the Trojans (8-9-2) walking away with a 5-0 victory. Julia Winter, Amber Harless, Mecca Cobbin and Ally Bayer all found the back of the net while the Troy defense allowed just three shots on goal in the game.

Entering the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, Troy's 34 goals have been scored by 14 different players – tied for most in program history (2001). The Trojans have won four of their last five games and have allowed just two goals in their eighth victories this season.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Location: Foley, Ala.
Venue: Foley Sports Tourism Complex
Video: ESPN3
Stats: SunBeltStats.com
Twitter: @TroyTrojansWSOC

SERIES INFO
GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Overall: Troy leads 4-2
            At Troy: Troy leads 2-1
            At Statesboro: Ties 1-1
            At Neutral: Troy leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 29, 2017 – Troy won, 5-0 (at Troy, Ala.)

LAST MEETING
The teams meet for the second time in just a few days as Troy defeated Georgia Southern 5-0 on Sunday at the Troy Soccer Complex.

Julia Winter got the wheels rolling just 5:30 into the contest. Mecca Cobbin fired a shot at goal that was saved by the Eagles' goalkeeper but then dropped. Winter was there to poke it in for her team-leading ninth goal of the year and her fifth goal in the the last six games.

With just under five minutes to play in the opening half, Kate Lorenz had her shot saved, but it fell to a waiting Amber Harless, who calmly finished to double Troy's lead.

Lorenz was not done leading the attack, however. In the 57^th minute her cross from the left wing found Cobbin, who scored off a bounce. Then, 28 seconds later, Lorenz again sent in a quality ball where freshman Ally Bayer was able to tap it in for her first career goal. Bayer added her second goal of the game in the 61^st minute off a corner service from Kiersten Edlund.

Mikki Lewis earned her 39^th career win and 31^st career shutout making three saves along the way. Lewis is now the sole owner of third in Sun Belt Conference history in shutouts. On Tuesday, Haley Roberson and Winter were named Second Team All-Sun Belt.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Georgia Southern (7-8-2) has dropped two of its last three games. The Eagles are eighth in the league with 21 goals scored and 10^th with a 1.78 goals against average. Frida Brattum enters the tournament tied for ninth with five goals scored on the year.

NOTEWORTHY
• Troy's 5-0 win over Georgia Southern on Sunday marked the largest margin of victory over a conference opponent in program history.

• Ally Bayer became the first Troy freshman to score the first two goals of her career in the same game since Brooke McKee in 2015.

• The Trojans have played Georgia Southern once in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. That meeting occurred in 2015 in Emerson, Ga., when Troy took the contest 3-0.

For more information on the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, visit SunBeltSports.org. For more info on Troy soccer, visit TroyTrojans.com.

No. 3 Troy Faces No. 6 Georgia Southern in SBC Tournament

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ally Bayer

Mecca Cobbin

Kiersten Edlund

Amber Harless

Mikki Lewis

Kate Lorenz

Brooke McKee

Haley Roberson

Julia Winter

Troy University Athletics