VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's soccer program begins the 2023 season on Thursday at 2 p.m. at Clayton State, followed by a 7 p.m. kick on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Georgia Southwestern. 
 
Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the matches at vstateblazers.com on the women's soccer schedule page.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for complete recaps following the matches.
 
The Blazers were picked eighth in the Gulf South Conference preseason poll as Mississippi College was tabbed the league favorite, followed by West Florida and Lee to round out the top three.  Montevallo was picked fourth, followed by West Georgia, West Alabama, Delta State and the Blazers.
 
Head coach Stephen Andrew begins his seventh year at Valdosta State and he is the winningest coach in program history at 50-40-7 overall and 40-26-5 in GSC play.  He guided the Blazers the NCAA postseason in 2021 for the first time since 2014 and has led the team to the GSC postseason tournament five times.  Andrew is in his 17^th season of coaching overall and is 190-95-16 all-time. 
 
Andrew welcomes back a strong nucleus of players for the 2023 season including second team all-conference performer senior Taylor Morris.  Junior Molly Wooldridge returns up top for the Blazers as she led the team with five goals last season.  Wooldridge has scored 14 goals with three assists for 31 points in her two seasons as a Blazer.  Morris finished the 2022 season with one goal and a team-high four assists for six points.
 
Along with Morris and Wooldridge, the Blazers welcomed a strong group of newcomers including freshman goalkeeper Tori Vliet and freshman midfielder Sam Stauter who were part of the GSC Newcomer Watch List. 
 
Clayton State was picked sixth in the preseason Peach Belt Conference poll, while Amiah Sprunger-Hightower was named to the preseason all-league team.  She finished the 2022 campaign with seven goals, 38 shots and 15 on target.  Clayton State went 3-10-2 in 2022 finishing eighth in the league standings and had the opener against the Blazers cancelled due to weather last season.  Head coach Ross Anderson is beginning his third season at the helm of the Lakers as he is 9-15-2 overall, while going 9-8-2 in PBC play. 
 
VSU evened the series with the Lakers with a 3-2, double overtime victory on the 2021 season-opener in Morrow, Ga., on Sept. 2, knotting the series at 3-3.  In that game, VSU raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first half, only to see CSU score its first goal on a penalty kick and the second came just 1:07 minutes later.  Former Blazer Bailey Hern scored the winner on an assist from Wooldridge at the 102:20 mark.  Hern scored two goals in the match and had one assist and Wooldridge had the first goal of the contest.  The win in 2021 snapped a two-match skid against the Lakers and three of four.  VSU is 1-2 in matches played in Morrorw, Ga.
 
Georgia Southwestern opens the 2023 season also on Thursday versus Albany State, before welcoming the Blazers for a 7 p.m. kick on Saturday.  GSW went 4-8-4 last season and was picked ninth in the PBC preseason poll.  The Hurricanes return Krystal Elie who finished with a team-high four goals last season.  Both goalkeepers return in Grace O'Shaughnessy and Shelby Watkins.  O'Shaughnessy went 3-7-3 with a 2.03 goals against average in 13 matches with 12 starts, logging 1021:00 minutes.  Watkins went 1-1-1 with two shutouts in 372:37 minutes. 
 
Head coach Kerry Edwards begins her third season at the helm of the 'Canes.  She is 11-16-5 and 3-13-3 in league play. VSU leads the all-time series with Georgia Southwestern 1-0 as the Blazers won 6-0 in the first game in VSU program history on Sept. 1, 2011 in Valdosta. 
 
Following the two matches this weekend, the Blazers return home to open the 2023 home slate on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. versus No. 10-ranked Embry-Riddle.