PINE BLUFF, Ark. – Jackson State University won its first ever South West Athletic Conference soccer championship on Sunday, Nov. 7. The Tigers defeated Mississippi Valley State, 2-0 at University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff at Pumphrey Field. JSU earned the SWAC automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The score was knotted at 0-0 for most of the game. Liana Knight broke through for JSU (13-6-1) in the 73rd minute and scored on an assist from Yamala Ebru. Two minutes later, Ebru scored on a header to put the Tigers up 2-0.
“We came into this game as if this were the first time we played MVSU,” said Niji Olagbegi, head coach at Jackson State. “The first half was scoreless, so I knew that we’d have to play really hard in the second half.”
The loss dropped Mississippi Valley State to 7-13-0. Mandi Quirk, Jency Jose and Shelby Willcocks all earned All-Tournament honors for the Devilettes.
Jackson State will now await its seeding for the NCAA tournament. The selection show will be broadcast live on Monday, Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m.