Lady Eagles Edge Middle Tennessee in Opener
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Despite the poor weather and sloppy field conditions, the Southern Miss Lady Eagles won their first season opener under Head Coach Matt Clark, 1-0, over Middle Tennessee State in the inaugural Golden Eagle Soccer Classic.

Junior forward Tricia Wiles made good on a penalty shot in the 75th minute and gave Southern Miss (1-0) all the scoring it would need. Wiles goal came as the Lady Eagles were shorthanded, following Samia McReynolds' ejection in the 59th minute.

"We played better when we had our player red-carded," Clark said. "At that point, we outshot them 5-1, and it became an issue of pride for us. It inspired us and forced us to change our lineup."

Both teams fought to a scoreless duel in the first half, as each team fired five shots apiece. In the second half, however, Southern Miss reeled off six more shots than its counterparts, 8-2, including five shots on goal.

Wiles opportunity came after Middle Tennessee (0-1) was flagged for an intentional handball inside the penalty area.

Sophomore keeper Leslie Schoeplein earned the shutout in goal, finishing with four saves in the match.

Nicholls State defeated Alabama A&M, 4-2, in the tournament opener.

Nicholls State and MTSU square off in a 1 p.m. match on Sunday, while the Lady Eagles return to action against Alabama A&M, at 3 p.m.