VALDOSTA, Ga. - An exciting match on Sunday afternoon at the VSU Soccer Complex ended in unsatisfying fashion for both Valdosta State and Mississippi College, as both teams scored once in the second period to finish the Gulf South Conference match in a 1-1 tie.
Both goals were a result of successful corner kicks, the first of which came from the Lady Choctaws just three minutes into the second half. Meghan Dodge bumped a corner kick to Melanie Benner, who quickly passed back to Dodge for a lofting cross across the box from the left side. Kaitlyn Kiss received the cross just in front of the goal, and successfully redirected Dodge's offering over the goal line to give Mississippi College the 1-0 lead.
The Blazers were unable to find an answer on the attack until the 80th minute, when the Blazers earned one of their four corner kicks of the match.
Erin Hill took the corner opportunity and rifled a cross to Blazer forward
Zahimara Fantauzzi, who tied the match up at 1-1 when she connected for a perfectly placed header into the left side. The goal was Fantauzzi's second of the season, and placed her in a three-way tie for the team lead this season with
Margaret Stauffer and
Maegen Doyle, who was forced to exit the match early with an undetermined injury.
The defensive struggle showcased fantastic efforts by both goalkeepers, as
Olivia Mills tallied five saves and allowed just one goal in ten attempts, while the Lady Choctaw's Robin Cooper was active near the net throughout the day as well. The junior goalkeeper for Mississippi College finished with three saves and one goal allowed in six attempts by the Blazers.
The stalemate marked the first tie of the year for VSU, and moved the Blazers to 4-4-1 overall, 4-1-1 against GSC opponents. Meanwhile, the Lady Choctaws slid to 7-3-1 overall, 2-2-1 in conference play.
The Sunday afternoon match kicked off a long stretch of home games for the Blazers, the next of which will take place on Friday, October 10, when Valdosta State hosts Columbus State for a non-conference match at 4:00 p.m.. Stay tuned to www.vstateblazers.com and follow us on Twitter @BlazerAthletics for all things Blazer Soccer, including previews and information leading up to next weekend's action.
