PENSACOLA, Fla. - This year's Valdosta State soccer seniors started the program off with a bang in 2011 with an appearance in their first ever Gulf South Conference Championship. After defeating the West Florida Argonauts 2-1 in the semifinal round of this year's GSC Tournament on Friday afternoon, the same group of ladies earned the opportunity to take the program a step further as they try and win a GSC Title in 2014.

Friday's match appeared as if it would be defensive struggle in the early going, but after the 26th minute, Valdosta State (10-6-2, 9-2-1) struck twice in a twelve minute span to open up a 2-0 advantage. The lead was one the Blazers would hold on to throughout the rest of the match.

"I'm ecstatic for these girls!" exclaimed Head Coach Rebecca Nolin, who is currently serving in her first year as a head coach at the collegiate level. "We wanted to redeem ourselves after last week's performance against West Florida. That result was still very fresh in our minds, so we had no trouble getting pumped up. Our girls had a great first half and deserved the two goals we scored."

The early lead in the first half came by way of Maegen Doyle, who took advantage of a well-placed cross from Karly Lentz and netted the first goal of the contest. Minutes later, Kim Caitlin Alderman blistered a perfect ball off of her left foot and into the right upper-ninety for what proved to be the game-winner. Doyle's goal marked her fourth of the year, while Alderman's critical goal accounted for the junior's second of the campaign.

Facing elimination from the tournament, the Argonauts (12-6, 9-3) turned up the offensive pressure in the closing minutes and scored a goal with less than seven minutes to go, but a stingy Blazer defense held strong to deny West Florida a chance to tie up the match before the clock expired.

"We played our game today and were able to frustrate them," added Nolin. We knew at halftime that we would have to weather a storm, but the girls stayed composed. Now, we'll need to recover and focus on a very good UNA team. We'll need to be prepared, but for tonight, we are going to enjoy this win."

Valdosta State, currently ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Division II South Region, will play in the GSC Championship game for just the second time in the short history of the program. A victory will earn Nolin's squad both a GSC Championship and a guaranteed berth in the South Regional. Those who can't make the match at noon on Sunday in Pensacola, Fla. can watch the action live via links provided at www.vstateblazers.com.