JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State was successful on its final corner kick of Saturday's Conference USA battle with UTEP as the corner kick in the 88th minute set up the Gamecocks for a 1-0 win over the Miners at the Jax State Soccer Complex.

The win bolstered the Gamecocks chances of making the 2024 CUSA Soccer Championship field with the win as they enter the final three weeks of the regular season with seven points. The win improved Jax State to 7-7-1 overall and 2-3-1 in CUSA play. The Miners dropped to 3-7-3 on the season and 0-4-1 in league play.

Sophomore Emma Oubrik took Jax State's 13th corner kick opportunity in the 88th minute and delivered the ball in front of the goal for freshman Abby Cole to get it in the back of the net. Both Oubrik and Cole were late substitutions into the contest with Oubrik coming on to the pitch for the final 17 minutes, while Cole was brought on just before the corner kick.

It was a tough, physical contest between the two sides with just 12 combined shots between the two. The Gamecocks controlled the possession and turned in 10 shots. Graduate Tori Paul, who joined the Gamecocks after playing at UTEP, led the club with three shots.

"Very proud of the girls and we battled for 90 minutes. I felt like we had a lot of chances in the first half and did not capitalize," said assistant coach Nicole Burke. "It was a physical game and we capitalized in the final minutes and defended the rest of the way. It was a massive team win and the whole bench was in to the game to keep our chances alive for postseason."

Jax State will have a full week of preparation for a road trip to New Mexico State on Saturday, October 19 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Match time is set for 8 p.m. CST.