VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 4 seed Valdosta State women's soccer team fell 1-0 to the No. 5 seed West Florida in Sunday's Gulf South Conference Championship opener to wrap up the 2021 season.
The match marked the first time in program history Blazer soccer has hosted a post-season GSC match. The Blazers round out the year with an 11-6-1 record, while the West Florida Argos advance to the GSC tournament quarterfinals with a 12-2-2 record.
The Argonauts put pressure on VSU's backline throughout the first half. UWF outshot the Blazers 10-2 while picking up six corners, and VSU recorded none. Senior
Lyana Steele got a shot off in the 34
th minute but was wide of the net. Steele finished her final match for the Blazers with one shot in 86 minutes.
In the 36
th minute, sophomore
Katie Mehas got a header on frame but was saved by UWF's Charline Favier. Mehas finished the match with one shot on goal in 22 minutes.
In the second half, the Argos and Blazers continued to work the ball on both sides of the pitch. The Argos quickly got a shot off in the 48
th minute but was pushed wide of the goal by freshman
Emma Pruett. The Blazers recorded back-to-back corners in the 62
nd and 63
rd minute, but UWF's defense cleared the ball both times.
The Argonauts scored in the 74
th minute off a corner kick, bringing the final score to 1-0 in favor of UWF.
Pruett played between the pipes the entire 90 minutes for the Blazers and recorded nine saves with one goal allowed.
The Blazers rounded out the match with two shots, one on frame and two corner kicks, while the Argos finished with 16 shots and 11 on frame.
The Blazers finished the 2021 season with 38 goals, 210 shots, 115 shots on goal, 26 assists, 68 saves, and 89 corner kicks. Freshman
Molly Wooldridge led the team in goals with nine, while
Bailey Hern came in second with six. Senior
Kyleigh Reedy finished the season with five assists, while Hern ended with four.
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