LIVINGSTON, Ala. - Ashley Lewis finished on a golden goal header in overtime to cap off a thrilling 4-3 Gulf South Conference comeback win over West Alabama for the Valdosta State soccer team on Sunday afternoon in Livingston, Ala.

Against the Tigers on a sweltering Alabama day, the Blazers gave up two first half goals to fall behind 2-0 at the break.

The resiliency of Head Coach Stephen Andrew's squad surfaced in the second half, when Taylor Snell crushed her fifth goal of the season into the upper right corner in the 59th minute to pull the Blazers to within one. The Tigers fired right back and opened their lead back up to 3-1 with a goal by Anele Komani just one minute later, but VSU hung tough and kept the match close with the help of a Haille Paterson header in the 72nd minute. The score for Paterson marked the first career goal for the freshman and trimmed UWA's lead to 3-2.

As time ticked away, the Blazers' backs were against the wall, but Paterson was there to save the day yet again. The Key Largo, Fla. native struck from close range in the 85th minute, which tied the score at 3-3 and ultimately sent the game into overtime.

Although both teams threatened in the extra period, Valdosta State controlled a majority of the frame, and the Blazers finally capitalized at the 96:46 mark with Lewis' aforementioned game-winner.

"I felt like we actually played pretty well in the first half, so it was frustrating to be down 2-0 at halftime," said Andrew after the win. "Credit to our girls. We've been on the road since Thursday and it's been a long road trip. They could have just given up, but they just kept fighting in the second half all the way to the end. Any road win in this conference is a great win."

All four of Valdosta State's goals came by way of assists from junior Mallory McDaniel. The four helpers marked a new school record for single-game assists. In addition, McDaniel now has five assists on the young season, which also eclipsed the previous record held by Arielle Sabina and Rebecca Miller, who both dished out four assists during the 2012 season.

The win vaulted the Blazers to a 4-1 overall record and put VSU at 2-1 in Gulf South Conference play. Meanwhile, the Tigers dropped to 2-4 overall and fell to 1-3 against league opponents.

Next up for Valdosta State, it's a Friday night home matchup against the visiting Statesmen of Delta State. The contest is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start at The VSU Soccer Complex.

Also, don't forget to join us at the Blazer Grille at the bottom of Hopper Hall on main campus each Tuesday at noon for "Lunch With the Blazers." The weekly coaches' show will feature interviews with players and coaches, and we'll have highlights and recaps of the previous week's results. Be sure to spend your lunch break with us each Tuesday.