VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's soccer team is set to travel to Carrollton, Ga., on Thursday at 5 p.m., to take on the West Georgia Wolves in the Red Clay Rivalry to round out the regular season. VSU enters the match with a 10-5-1 record and 7-4-1 in Gulf South Conference play. Valdosta State currently leads West Georgia 3-0 in the Red Clay Rivalry. 

The Blazers head into Thursday's showdown, coming off a win against Auburn Montgomery last Sunday, 2-0, and a heartbreaking 2-1 double-overtime loss at Montevallo last Friday. 

The Wolves enter Thursday's match with a 9-6 overall record and 7-5 in the GSC. The Blazers are 6-4-2 all-time against West Georgia, with the most recent meeting being on February 21, 2021, where the Blazers defeated the Wolves in a 4-3 overtime win. The Blazers hold a 3-1-1 record over the Wolves in Carrollton and have won the last three meetings in the series overall.

With a win, the Blazers will clinch the No. 4 seed in the GCS tournament and host a playoff game at the VSU Soccer Complex on Sunday; with a loss, the Blazers would clinch a road playoff match as the No. 6 or No. 7 seed. 

Gameday Storylines 

Inside the Box Score 

This season, the Blazers' offense is led by sophomore Bailey Hern, this week's GSC Offensive Player of the Week, and freshman Molly Wooldridge. Hern has six goals on the season with four assists, while Wooldridge has recorded nine goals and three assists. Shed has picked up 21 points on the year, while Hern has 16. Hern also leads the team with 36 shots and 19 on target, along with three game-winners, while Wooldridge has 29 shots and 16 on frame and two game-winners. 

Senior Lauren Hicks has seven points on the year with three goals and one assist, while senior Kyleigh Reedy has put away two goals on the year and has assisted four, combining for eight points. 

Freshman goalkeeper Emma Pruett has combined for five shutouts on the year in VSU's wins against Albany State on September 8, Spring Hill on September 26, Delta State on October 20, Union on October 15, and Alabama Huntsville on October 24. Pruett has played in nine matches for 595 minutes and has recorded 14 saves for a 0.737 save percentage and a 4-2-0 record on the year. 

Also, between the posts, senior Samantha Blanford has played in nine matches with seven starts, logging 632:40 minutes. She has a 1.28 goals-against average with 33 saves for a .786 save percentage. Blanford is 4-2-1 on the year with one shutout and combined on two other shutouts. 

As a team, the Blazers have scored 35 goals with 25 assists for 95 points. The team has 192 shots with 109 on frame and ten game-winners. VSU also has an own goal to its credit this season. 

Nationally, the Blazers sit seventh in the GSC for shots with 192 and 109 shots on goal. The Blazers sit in third in the GSC in goals, recording 35 in 16 matches, and sit third in the GSC in points with 95.

Individually, Hern comes in sixth in the league in shots on goal with 19 and 11th in assists with four. Wooldridge currently sits tied for fifth in the league in points with 21 and tied third in the league in goals with nine.

 Division II South Region Ranking

The Valdosta State women's soccer team is eighth in the South Region in the second NCAA Division II Women's Soccer region rankings. 

The top six teams in the region qualify for the NCAA South Regional. The NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Selection Show is scheduled for November 14, and the NCAA South Regional is slated for the following week. The NCAA Division II Women's Soccer National Championship round is scheduled for Dec. 9-11 at Switchbacks FC Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Two more public region rankings will be released each of the following two Wednesdays before the Selection Show.

 Looking at West Georgia

The Wolves enter Thursday's match, coming off a 3-2 road win over Montevallo on October 31. West Georgia was ranked 10th in the GSC 2021 Women's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll, just behind Christian Brothers and Alabama Huntsville. Hilary Resendiz enters the weekend for the Wolves as UWG's leader in goals with four and is up to eighth in career goals with 13. A quartet of Wolves, Sadie Prince, Cassidi Thomas, Kaylah Nichols, and Janaisia Smith, are tied with three goals each season for UWG. The team averages 1.67 goals per game and 13.3 shots per game. Overall, the Wolves have scored 25 goals and 199 shots this season.  

 Conference Tournament 

The Gulf South Conference Championship begins on Sunday, November 7, on campus sites as VSU has a chance to host a first-round match depending on the results of the final regular-season game. The semifinals and championship of the conference tournament are scheduled for Nov. 11-13 at Ashton Brosnaham Park in Pensacola, Fla.

 To stay up to date on all things Blazer soccer, follow Blazer Athletics on social media or visit vstateblazers.com.