PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas | The Alabama A&M soccer team advances to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) semifinal round after defeating Jackson State University 2-1 on Thursday afternoon. The Bulldogs advance to the semifinal round for the first time since 2021 and the first time in the Prince Borde Era.
The first half started out fairly slow for both teams, with the Bulldogs and the Tigers only recording two on target shots in the first 30 minutes. Just two minutes later, however, sophomore Albany Rios scored her first career goal by sending the ball to the top left corner of the net to break open the match. AAMU saw two more looks at the goal, but it was JSU who found the back of the net in the 41st minute to level the match going into the half.
A Jackson State foul seven minutes into the second period awarded the Bulldogs a free kick. Sophomore Amelia Barber took the kick and sent the ball deep into the box where SWAC Midfielder of the Year Jasmine Perez-Acosta took a shot but was blocked by Rebecca Jamieson. Perez-Acosta stayed in play and took a second chance shot that crossed the goal line and gave the Bulldogs the 2-1 lead. The Tigers recorded two more shots on goal but were unable to convert, giving AAMU the victory.
" I'm on cloud nine right now", Perez-Acosta said about the win. "Last year, we made it to the quarterfinals and got knocked out, but this year we kept going, kept pushing and kept persevering, and we got the result." When asked about the recipe to winning the semifinal round, the senior said "effort, grit, hard work, and staying together as a team".
The Bulldogs will face #1 seed Texas Southern on Friday at 3 p.m. TSU and AAMU met just three weeks prior, with the Tigers taking the 1-0 victory after a goal just three minutes into the second half put the TSU on top. Texas Southern leads in the overall series by just one match.
Live streaming can be found on the SWAC Digital Network.
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics- Huntsville's only Division I program - check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com. Be sure to follow the women's soccer team on Instagram and X.
