THE JUNGLE SOCCER COMPLEX | MOBILE, Ala. - The University of Mobile Women's Soccer team concluded the regular season portion of the 2023 schedule in style on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 28, defeating Faulkner University (Ala.) in comeback fashion in the SSAC Women's Soccer Game of the Week. Mobile defeated the Eagles 4-3 over the weekend, relying on two goals in the final 10 minutes to secure the win. With the win, Mobile improves to 7-6-4 overall this season and has secured the No. 6 seed in the upcoming SSAC Women's Soccer Championship Tournament with a 4-4-2 conference record.
Additionally, Saturday was Senior Day for the UM Women's Soccer program as three Rams were honored pregame. Graduating seniors include the following: Juliana Gomez, Tabitha Jordan, and Sophie Roberts. All three players started Saturday's match and were greeted at midfield by Mobile Head Coach Brian Person, assistant coach Jordan Sinclair, and their remaining teammates.
Match Recap: Comeback Ignites Mobile
Saturday's conference game of the week in women's soccer opened with Mobile hitting the scoreboard first in the 15th minute of the match. After receiving a back-footed pass from Sophie Roberts, Olivia Quiroz finished with the goal to put the Rams on top. However, Faulkner immediately answered Mobile's opening goal, scoring not one, but two goals in the next five minutes, both by Ainsley Lockwood. Faulkner's second goal came via the penalty kick after a foul on Mobile inside the box.
With the first half winding down, the Rams responded with a match-tying goal in the 36th minute coming off the foot of team scoring leader Raegan Latiolais. Quiroz was in on Latiolais' goal, earning the assist. Faulkner again responded extremely quick, however, reclaiming the lead just one minute later. From there, the match went to halftime with Faulkner leading, 3-2.
The second half remained a 3-2 ballgame for the first 30+ minutes until Mobile scored the equalizer in the 80th minute. Freshman Andi Hughes managed to tie the match after a pass from Latiolais, who collected the assist. With the match tied 3-3, pressure was on both sides to end the regular season with a win.
The Rams seemed to carry momentum following Hughes' equalizer and eventually took the lead with just over one minute left in the match. Olivia Quiroz passed the ball over to Izzabella Payne near midfield who dribbled towards Faulkner goalkeeper Faith Rush. Payne realized that Rush was out of place in net and chopped a shot over her head for the game-winning goal. Once the ball fell past Rush, it rolled slowly in the net as the Mobile bench and fans exploded with excitement. With just one minute remaining, Faulkner was unable to answer and the match went final. The Rams managed a roller coaster of a win to end the 2023 regular season on a high note.
In the win, Mobile out-shot the Eagles 27-13, with 15 shots being recorded on goal. For Faulkner, eight of the 15 shots were on target as Mobile keeper Juliana Gomez collected five saves. Andi Hughes led Mobile with five shots in the win, followed by Sophie Roberts and Raegan Latiolais who each tallied four.
SSAC Women's Soccer Championship Tournament Next
Mobile secured the No. 6 seed in the upcoming conference tournament following Saturday's victory and will travel to Marietta, Ga. for quarterfinal action. The Rams will face the No. 3 seed in Life University (Ga.) to begin the postseason, with Thursday's match being scheduled for 4:00 p.m. CT. Winner will advance to the semifinals in Montgomery, Ala. next week.
FOLLOW THE RAMS
For complete coverage of University of Mobile Athletics, follow the Rams on social media at /MobileRams (Facebook), @UMobileRams (Twitter), and @umobilerams (Instagram), or visit the official home of the University of Mobile Athletic Department at https://umobilerams.com/.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
