Troy Upended in Sun Belt Opener at South Alabama

Thursday, September 17

Mobile, Ala.

7 p.m.

Troy University

1-6-2, 0-1-0

South Alabama

3-4-1, 1-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Troy	0	0	0
South Alabama	1	1	2

Box Score (PDF)

Troy Upended in Sun Belt Opener at South Alabama

9/17/2026 9:52:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

MOBILE, Ala. - Troy soccer dropped its Sun Belt opener on Thursday evening, 2-0 at South Alabama.

Troy (1-6-2, 0-1-0 SBC) controlled 44% of possession but created quality chances in both halves. The Trojans put five shots on goal compared to the Jaguars' four.

South Alabama (3-4-0, 1-0-0 SBC) scored goals in the 15th and 80th minutes and relied on five saves from Sierra Giorgio in net.

South Alabama came out on the attack to begin the match, earning three corners within the first eight minutes of play.

Troy's first shot of the night came in the 10th minute, a free kick from Brooke Slater that fell into the arms of Giorgio. Slater returned to play following a one-game suspension after picking up a red card against West Florida.

Hannah Kent set up a great chance for Troy minutes later, sneaking a through ball past the Jaguar defense and into the path of Alaina Uncapher. Uncapher's initial shot was saved by Giorgio, while she put the rebound narrowly wide.

South Alabama struck in the 15th minute, as Ava Arroyo sent the ball across the box to trailing attacker Ava Matherne. Matherne slipped the ball past Taylor Richards and inside the far-left post.

A prime opportunity came in the 30th minute for Troy, as a header off the corner was narrowly saved by Giorgio, who was able to get a finger on the shot.

Despite being outshot 8-4, the Trojans held a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal heading into halftime.

A Brooke Slater free kick in the 52nd minute found a Trojan in the box, but Giorgio was there to make her fourth save of the night.

The Trojan offensive pressure continued to pick up in the second half, as an offensive buildup led to a chance in front of goal from Mallorie Springs in the 66th minute.

Despite the offensive pressure, Troy conceded the second goal of the match in the 79th minute. A South Alabama corner was contested inside the box before falling to Ava Arroyo, who buried the ball into the net.

The scoreline held through the final 10 minutes, giving South Alabama the 2-0 win.

Quotable – Head Coach Jake Wyman
"I thought we put in a good performance tonight. We gave ourselves a chance to win the game and missed a few clear chances. That was the difference in the game I thought, they took their chances and we didn't."

Notables

Troy is now 8-17-1 against South Alabama.
The Trojans put five shots on goal compared to the Jaguars' four, marking the first time Troy has led its opponent in that statistic since Aug. 20 against Southeastern Louisiana.
Six Trojans – Taylor Richards, Imani Hamilton, Grace DeShetler, Isabella Hartofelis, Brooke Slater, and Madisyn Marchesi – played the full 90 minutes.

Up Next
Troy returns to the Troy Soccer Complex next Thursday, September 24, taking on Marshall. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. with the action streaming on ESPN+.