VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's soccer team returns home following a pair of Gulf South Conference road wins last weekend for the 2018 GSC home-opening weekend. The Blazers host Spring Hill Friday evening at 7 p.m. and then battle No. 9-ranked West Florida Sunday at 1 p.m.  Both matches will be played at the VSU Soccer Complex.
 
Links to live stats and video streaming can be found at vstateblazers.com on the women's soccer schedule page.  Check back with the site for a complete recap of each match, along with results each day.
 
The Blazers are 4-2 on the year and 2-0 in league play after a pair of come-from-behind wins at Auburn Montgomery and at Montevallo last week.  Against AUM, the Blazers trailed 2-0 early, before getting on track.  VSU outscored AUM 4-0 in the second half for the win after trailing 3-2 at halftime.
 
Junior Riley Tennant scored the game winner in the second half for the Blazers as she finished with one goal and two assists in the game against AUM.  Senior Suvi Savolainen had a team-high two goals with four shots and three on frame.   VSU freshman goalkeeper Samantha Blanford made her first career start going all 90 minutes with three saves.  
 
On Sunday, VSU surrendered an early goal once again, but fought back as junior Ashley Lewis and senior Carly Montgomery each scored goals in the first half for all of the scoring in the match.  The Blazers defended a barrage of shots by Montevallo as UM held a 27-7 lead in shots and 7-3 in shots on goal, while leading 10-3 in corner kicks.  Blanford improved to 2-0 on the year, allowing the one goal and recording six saves.
 
For the season, the Blazers have scored 16 goals on 84 shots with 52 shots on frame.  VSU has 12 assists and has attempted 33 corner kicks. Conversely, the opposition has scored eight goals in 69 shots with 33 on frame and has seven assists.  The opposition has attempted 26 corner kicks.  The Blazers have been very even in terms of goals per half with eight in each, while recording 41 shots in the first half and 43 in the second.  
 
Individually, Lewis leads the team with nine points as she has a team-high four goals with one assist. Lewis has one game winner on the year with 22 shots to lead the team and 12 on frame.  Tennant has two goals and two assists for six points, while three Blazers each have five points.  
 
In goal, Blanford has played in four games with two starts logging 221:37 minutes, allowing five goals (2.03 GAA), with nine saves and a 2-0 record.  Sophomore Caroline Embler has started four games and logged 318:23 minutes. She has a 0.85 GAA with three goals allowed, 15 saves and a 2-2 record with one shutout.  
 
Nationally speaking, the Blazers are second in the GSC and 30^thnationally in assists per game at 2.0, while ranking second in the league in assists and 31^stnationally with 12.  VSU is second in the league in goals scored (16) for 26^thnationally, while ranking 29^thnationally and second in the league in total points with 44.  
 
Individually, Embler is fourth in the league in goals against average at 0.85, while sophomore Lexie Hall and Tennant are third in the league in assists with two each.  
 
Spring Hill enters with a 1-4 record and a 1-1 mark in conference play.  The Badgers lost 5-0 at home to Christian Brothers last week and bounced back for a 2-0 win over Union.  The win against Union snapped a four-game losing skid to begin the season.  
 
The Badgers have scored five goals, while allowing 16 on the year.  SHC has 61 shots with 22 on goal, while recording 22 corner kicks with 24 saves and six assists.  The Badgers have allowed 86 shots with 40 on frame, along with 28 corner kicks and 12 assists.  
 
Six different players each have two points for the season as five have one goal on the year.  Caroline Lewis leads the team with two assists. Gabrielle Burmaster leads the team with 17 shots and eight on frame.  Oliva Durrough has the one game winner in the finale last week.  In goal, three different players have played with Grace Riley seeing action in four games with two starts.  She has logged 211:29 minutes, allowing five goals, recording ten saves and is 1-1 with one shutout.  Both HP Fluharty and Kira Babiarz have seen action, too.  
 
VSU leads the all-time series with Spring Hill 2-0-2 and has outscored the Badgers 11-4.  Last season, VSU posted a 6-0 win in Valdosta.  Prior to that, the teams tied in 2016 and 2015, both in Mobile, Ala.  VSU won 2-1 in Valdosta in the first meeting in 2014.
 
The Argonauts enter with a perfect 6-0 record as one of 13 undefeated teams left in the country. UWF outscored Union and Christian Brothers 10-1 last weekend in a pair of home matches.  The Argos will travel to West Georgia, before heading to Valdosta for Sunday's match.
 
UWF has scored 22 goals and allowed just three on the season, while recording 144 shots with 78 on goal.  The Argos have 13 assists and 76 corner kicks for the season.  The opposition has just 35 shots for the season with 15 on frame, while UWF has surrendered 14 corner kicks.  
 
Nationally, the Argos are 26^thin goals against average (0.493) to lead the league, while ranking sixth in points per game (9.5), fourth in scoring offense (3.67), 23^rdin assists (13), seventh in goals (22) and ninth in points (57) which all lead the GSC.  
 
Individually, Grace Busby leads the team with six goals and one assist for 13 points.  She has 23 shots with 11 on goal, along with two game winners and converted her one penalty kick.  Three different Argonauts have two goals each, while Sam Waarum has nine points with two goals and two assists.  She has nine shots with six on goal.  Three different UWF players have two assists each.
 
In goal, Esthefanny Barreras is 6-0 with a 0.37 goals against average.  She has logged 482:27 minutes, allowing two goals with 12 saves and two shutouts.  Emily Ambrose has played in two games, logging 65:30 minutes with one goal against.
 
Busby is 20^thnationally and first in the league in game winners with two, while ranking 13^thnationally in goals per game (1.00), 26^thin points per game (2.17), 10^thin total goals (6) and 18^thin total points (13).  Barreras is 17^thin goals against average (0.37).  
 
UWF leads the all-time series with VSU 6-1-3.  The Blazers' lone win came in Pensacola in 2014 in the Gulf South Conference Tournament as the Blazers made their first trip to the NCAA postseason that year.  
 
Last season, the teams tied in Pensacola 2-2.  VSU had a 2-0 lead at halftime, but the Argonauts roared back in the second half with two goals as the teams played scoreless in overtime.  Prior to that, VSU had not scored in 238:42 against the Argos.  Of the eight goals scored by VSU in the series, six have come in the first half as UWF has outscored VSU 25-8.