VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's soccer team closes the 2018 regular season with a pair of critical Gulf South Conference matches on the road this week at Shorter and at Lee on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. VSU and Shorter are set for a 6 p.m. kick Thursday and the Blazers battle Lee at 5 p.m. Saturday.
 
The Blazers are 10-5 overall, 8-3 in Gulf South Conference action and sit tied for third with two games remaining.  VSU and West Alabama are tied in conference points each with 24 as UWA has one game remaining in its regular season.  
 
Lee and West Georgia each sit one game back of VSU and UWA, while Christian Brothers and Montevallo are two games back.  West Florida and Mississippi College are tied for the league-lead each at 11-0 and will play each other Thursday in Clinton, Miss. 
 
VSU was sitting outside the top eight in the latest NCAA South Region rankings, which were released last Wednesday.  VSU did pick up a win over No. 7 Christian Brothers in the rankings and has a chance to move up with a win at No. 5 Lee this week, heading into the conference tournament. 
 
Last week, the Blazers went 3-0 with wins at Delta State (4-0) and closed the home regular season with a 3-1 win over Union and a 2-0 win over Christian Brothers on Senior Day. VSU honored three seniors on Sunday playing in their final regular season home match in Carley Montgomery, Suvi Savolainen and Mallory McDaniel.
 
This season, the Blazers are 37^thnationally and third in the GSC in assists per game at 1.80, while ranking third in the league and 38^thnationally in total assists with 27.  VSU is fourth in scoring offense at 2.27 goals per game for 44^thnationally, while ranking 42^ndnationally and fourth in the league in total goals with 34.  The team also is 44^thnationally and fourth in the conference in total points with 95.  
 
Individually, junior Ashley Lewis leads the league and is eighth nationally in game winning goals with six, while she ranks second in the league (26^thnationally) in goals per game at 0.8.  She is third in the league in points per game at 1.73 for 46^thnationally. Lewis is 21^stnationally in total goals (12) for second in the league and she is 41^stnationally and second in the league in total points with 26.  Lewis broke the school record for season goals (12) last weekend in the 3-1 win over Union, while also breaking the school single-season record for points (26).  
 
Between the pipes, the Blazers have an .822 save percentage for fourth in the league, while averaging 4.93 saves per game.  VSU is third in the GSC in shutout percentage at .467 for 50^thnationally. Sophomore Caroline Embler is third in the GSC in goals against average (0.965), while ranking fifth in the league in save percentage (.841) for 46^thnationally and has 58 total saves this season. Freshman Samantha Blanford also has seen time in goal for the Blazers this season.
 
Shorter enters with a 3-12-1 record overall and a 1-8-1 mark in the GSC.  The Hawks have dropped their last three matches and been outscored 4-0 during the streak.  SU has gone 0-4-1 in its last five matches with a tie against Union.  Prior to that, Shorter had two wins over Delta State and Spring Hill.  
 
The Hawks have scored 12 goals on the year, while allowing 29.  Erica Hiller leads the team with four goals and three assists for 11 points. She has one of the three game winners on the year and has 38 shots with 22 on frame.  In goal, SU is led by Sydney Durham who has played all 1417:35 minutes, allowing 29 goals for a 1.84 GAA with 105 saves.
 
VSU leads the all-time series with Shorter 5-1-1, with a 30 win in Rome, Ga., last season.  The Blazers have outscored SU 11-3 with five shutouts. VSU is 4-0 all-time on the road against the Hawks.
 
Lee enters with a 10-5-1 record overall and a 7-4 mark in GSC play.  The Flames also have won their last three matches and outscored the opposition 10-0 during that span.  Lee's last loss was a 3-2 double overtime setback to Christian Brothers on Oct. 12. 
 
The Flames have scored 44 goals on the year, while allowing 21.  Lee has 344 shots with 184 on frame and is averaging 2.75 goals per game. Mia Hollingsworth leads the team with 10 goals and five assists for 25 points.  She has one game winner on the year, while Kelsey Yoder is second in scoring with 14 points on seven goals and two game winners.  Riley Engels is third in scoring with 13 points on five goals and three assists.  Between the posts, Taylor Green has started all 16 games, logging 1499:17 minutes, allowing 21 goals (1.26 GAA), with 68 saves and six shutouts.  
 
Lee leads the all-time series 4-1, but the Blazers won last season's meeting 1-0 in Cleveland, Tenn. Tennant scored the lone goal of the match in the 35^thminute.  Lee outshot VSU 17-5 and 8-3 in shots on goal. Sophomore Paige Taylor had the assist for the Blazers on the Tennant score.
 
Check back with vstateblazers.com for links to live stats, streaming links and complete recaps following each match.  Also, check back with the site following Saturday's match at Lee to see where and when the Blazers will play in the upcoming GSC Championship, beginning next Tuesday at campus sites.