VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's soccer team returns home to host Delta State and Mississippi College this weekend for Senior Weekend at the VSU Soccer Complex.  The Blazers and Delta State are set for a Halloween kick at 7 p.m., while the Blazers entertain Mississippi College on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. for Senior Day.
 
The Blazers enter with a ton of momentum riding a three-match winning streak with a 7-0 win over Auburn Montgomery on Oct. 18, followed by a 3-1 win at home over Eckerd College (Oct. 20) and a 4-2 win at Christian Brothers last Friday (Oct. 24).  Since the AUM match, VSU has outscored the opposition 14-3.  Prior to Oct. 18, the Blazers had scored just five goals on the year through the first 12 matches.  
 
During the winning streak, junior Kaitlyn Scherer has scored four goals with two assists for ten points, while she has nine shots (.444) with seven on frame (.778) and two game winners.  Junior Taylor Youmans has six assists during the three games with ten shots and seven on frame.  Sophomore Maria Rojas has three goals and one assist for seven points, while registering nine shots (.333) with six on target (.667) and one game winner.  Senior goalkeeper Claire Timberlake has allowed three goals in the three matches, while recording 14 saves and combined on a shutout.  Scherer was named GSC Player of the Week for her efforts last week in the wins over Eckerd and Christian Brothers.  It marked the first weekly honor of the season for Scherer and the first for the Blazers in 2025.
 
The Blazers enter the final home weekend of the season with a 4-7-4 record overall and a 2-6-1 record in Gulf South Conference play.  With positive results this weekend, the Blazers can play their way into the GSC postseason tournament.  VSU's match which was scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 26, at Union was postponed to Nov. 5 due to unplayable field conditions.  Currently, the Blazers are tied with Trevecca Nazarene for tenth in the league standings, two matches out of an eighth-place tie with UAH, while Union currently sits ninth.  VSU would need to win its final three matches to have a chance at qualifying for the postseason conference tournament. 
 
Friday marks the fifth time in program history the team has played on Halloween.  VSU is 1-1-2 all-time on Halloween with the last being at 2-1 win at Auburn Montgomery in 2021.  Prior to that, the Blazers tied North Alabama 3-3 in 2017 in the GSC Tournament and advanced on penalty kicks.  VSU tied West Alabama in the only other home match on Halloween 0-0 in 2015 and lost at West Florida 2-1 in 2014.  
 
VSU is 10-12-3 all-time in the month of November and 4-1-2 in regular season matches in November.  
 
Prior to Sunday's match against Mississippi College, the Blazers will honor five seniors playing in their final regular season match in a Blazer uniform.  The 2025 Senior Class includes; Victoria Bahr, Caroline Kimmel, Katherine Kimmel, Lydia Lewis and Claire Timberlake.  VSU athletics wishes each senior the best of luck in their future endeavors.   
 
This season, VSU is led by Youmans who leads the team with 12 points on three goals and a team-high six assists.  She has fired 26 shots (.115) with 16 on frame (.615) and has one game winner.  Scherer is second in scoring with ten points on four goals and two assists.  Scherer has 18 shots (.222) with 12 on goal (.667) and a team-high two game winners.  Rojas is third in scoring with nine points on four goals and one assist.  She leads the team with 32 shots (.125) and a team-best 17 on target (.531) and has one game winner.  Scherer has scored goals in each of the past three matches, while Youmans has assists in each of the past three matches, including three assists in the win at Christian Brothers last Friday. 
 
In goal, Timberlake has started 13 matches for the red and black this season, allowing 18 goals (1.43 goals against average) with 58 saves and a 4-5-4 record with two shutouts and one combined shutout, while facing 139 shots in 1131:43 minutes.  Freshman Adrienne Cardona-Colon has played in five matches with two starts for 218:17 minutes.  She has allowed six goals with nine saves and faced 25 shots, while combining on one shutout. 
 
Head coach Stephen Andrew is in his ninth season at the helm of the Blazers.  He is the winningest coach in program history at 70-60-18 at VSU, while he is 53-41-11 in GSC play and is 210-115-27 all-time in 19 years of coaching, including stops at Piedmont and Huntingdon Colleges.  
 
Delta State enters with a 5-5-4 record overall and a 4-3-3 mark in GSC play with 15 points as the Lady Statesmen currently sit tied for fifth in the league standings with Spring Hill College.  DSU is coming off a 3-1 loss to Lee in its final regular season home match on Monday.  This season, DSU is led by Millie Congerton who has a team-high five goals and one assist for 11 points.  She has a team-best 46 shots (.109) with 26 on target (.565) and three game winners.  Both Chloe Colquhoun and Janya Gonzalez each have two goals on the year, while Casey Stalder leads the team with two assists.  In goal, Piper Burgess has started 13 matches for 1146:04 minutes, allowing 15 goals (1.18 GAA) with 34 saves, four shutouts and combined for one, while facing 107 shots.  Kim Bircher has played in two matches with one start for 113:56 minutes and registered four saves. 
 
VSU leads the all-time series with Delta State 9-1-2, but the Lady Statesmen have gone 1-0-1 in the last two meetings with a 5-2 win in Valdosta in 2022 and a 1-1 tie in Cleveland, Miss., in 2024.  Prior to the last two meetings, DSU had scored just two goals in the first ten matchups.  VSU is 4-1 all-time against Delta State in Valdosta.  
 
Mississippi College enters the week with a 6-7-3 record overall and a 4-4-2 record in league play.  The Choctaws are seventh in the league standings with 14 points currently and will play at Auburn Montgomery before heading to Valdosta for Sunday's match.
 
The Choctaws are led by Charlie Cooper who has three goals and two assists for eight points.  She has 16 shots (.188) with nine on target (.563) and leads the team with two game winners.  Vail Wartes has three goals for six points and a team-high 23 shots (.130) with 11 on goal for a .478 clip.  In goal, Celine Grothe has started 11 matches for 990 minutes, allowing seven goals (0.64 GAA) with 45 saves and a 4-4-3 record this season.  She has seven shutouts and faced 123 shots.  Rylie Waclawczyk has started three matches with nine saves and faced 35 shots, while allowing ten goals.
 
MC leads the all-time series 7-1-1, but the Blazers came away with the first victory in program history last season in Clinton, Miss., in a 2-0 win on Nov. 1.  Rojas scored the game winner 72:26 into the match and former Blazer Jocelyn Oballe had the insurance goal ten minutes later.  Timberlake posted a clean sheet with four saves, while Rojas converted her only shot attempt.  
 
Following the two matches this weekend, VSU will travel back to Jackson, Tenn., to make up the Union match from last Sunday on Nov. 5 at a time to be determined as the match will likely have postseason tournament implications for one or both teams.