JACKSONVILLE – Birta Birgisdóttir tallied the game-winning goal in the second half to help send the Jacksonville State senior class out with a win on senior night as the Gamecocks blanked Bellarmine, 1-0, on Thursday night at the JSU Soccer Field.

JSU picked up its first win in ASUN action and has gained momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season with solid performances over the last two weeks. The Gamecocks moved to 3-11-1 overall and 1-5-1 in league play. The Knights of BU dropped to 1-6-8 on the season and 1-3-4 against ASUN foes.

The Knights nearly recorded their ninth draw of the season as they looked to have tied the match with under 30 seconds left, but the goal was nullified after an offsides call was made.

"I don't know how many times this year that we have been in these tight games and it has not gone our way. We have created chances and have been a bit unlucky at time but tonight we got what we deserved," said head coach Neil Macdonald.

Birgisdóttir's goal came in the 61st minute after coming off the bench to spark Jax State offensively. Her first goal as a Gamecock was assisted by sophomore Laleh Lonteen, who now has three assists on the season. Birgisdóttir finished with four shots off the bench, including two on goal chances.

After both teams combined for 10 shots in the first 45 minutes, the Gamecocks pressured the Knights in the second half with 11 of the 16 total shots in the half.

"I think the girls really wanted to perform tonight for the seniors and they want to send them out the right way and I thought everyone's performance was excellent tonight. I wouldn't question any of the girls attitude and mentality all throughout the year because they could have easily packed up and given in," added Macdonald.

Senior Ali Thomas, playing for the final time under the lights on the home pitch, turned in a career-high in shots with five chances. Six of the seven available seniors contributed to the win on Thursday. Briana Eads and Isobel Spray were anchors on the backline and in the midfield, while Cynthia Bagozzi joined Thomas by being a scoring threat throughout the 90 minutes. Kimberly McPhearson created a couple of chances early in the outing.

Morgan Lerch collected her 12th career shutout after denying BU a goal. Lerch finished with three saves on the night.

"I think this is one of the best senior classes I have ever worked with to be honest. Their commitment, the attitude is always first class and model student athletes, who do everything in the classroom," added Macdonald. "They show the young players how to train every day and be competitive."

The Gamecocks will wrap up the 2022 home schedule on Sunday against Eastern Kentucky. Match time is set for 1 p.m. Admission is free and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.

"This will give them a boost of positive energy and they know they can win, it is just a matter of getting it on the board and tonight they fought for the full 90 minutes and earned it." Said Macdonald.

EKU fell to Kennesaw State, 2-0, on Thursday night.