The Southern Miss soccer team (11-5-1, 5-4-1 C-USA) fell to Louisiana Tech (12-5-2, 5-3-2 C-USA) in the team’s regular season finale on Friday night. The first half of the match was a defensive battle as both teams remained scoreless throughout.

It was not until the 60th minute when Techsters’ freshman forward Connor Barker broke through the Southern Miss defense and scored on a one-touch cross, giving Louisiana Tech a 1-0 lead. Techsters’ senior Numvula Kgoale setup Barker with the assist.

Kgoale and Barker kept their 1-2 punch going in the contest, as 4:37 later in the match Kgoale setup Barker with yet another assist, with Barker hitting a shot into the right corner of the net. That goal expanded the Techsters’ lead to 2-0. The Golden Eagles were not able to respond as they were held scoreless by Louisiana Tech for the duration of the match.

The Golden Eagles finished the match with a total of 14 shots compared to Louisiana Tech’s nine shots. Each team also had three shots on goal. Southern Miss sophomore goalkeeper Kendell Mindnich also recorded one save.

Southern Miss finishes its 2018 regular season campaign with an 11-5-1 record, the team’s best win output since the inaugural 1997 season. The team’s .676 winning percentage this season is good for third-best in Conference USA.

Southern Miss is now gearing up for the 2018 C-USA Women’s Soccer Tournament. The tournament will take place in Norfolk, Virginia, from Oct.31-Nov. 4.