By: Austin Sellars, Staff Writer

VALDOSTA, Ga. – The VSU Lady Blazers soccer team will host Delta State at 7 p.m. on Halloween night in hopes of continuing their late-season playoff push. 

VSU enters the matchup riding a three-game win streak, starting Oct. 18 with a dominant 7-0 victory over Auburn Montgomery, followed by a 3-1 win against Eckerd College and a 4-2 triumph over Christian Brothers. 

 In those three matches, the Lady Blazers outscored opponents 14-3. Before the streak, they had managed only five goals in their first 12 games. 

 The Blazers must win their final three games to keep their Gulf South Conference postseason hopes alive. They currently hold a 4-7-4 overall record and a 2-6-1 mark in GSC play, tied with Trevecca Nazarene for tenth in the standings. 

 Delta State enters 5-5-4 overall and 4-3-3 in conference action, tied with Spring Hill College for fifth place. The Lady Statesmen are coming off a 3-1 loss to Lee University in their final regular-season home game. 

 VSU will look to keep its offensive rhythm behind junior forward Taylor Youmans, who leads the team with six assists and three goals this season. Midfielder Kaitlyn Scherer has also been a steady scoring threat, adding four goals and two assists for the Lady Blazers.  

 On the other side, Delta State’s attack runs through junior forward Millie Congerton, whose five goals top the Lady Statesmen. The matchup between Youmans and Congerton could determine the outcome of this match. 

 Head coach Stephen Andrew, now in his ninth season at the helm, is the winningest coach in program history with a 70-60-18 overall record and a 53-41-11 mark in GSC play. He looks to extend that win column this weekend.  

 This Halloween matchup marks just the fifth time in program history that VSU has played on Oct. 31. The Lady Blazers hold a 1-1-2 record all-time in games played on the holiday. 

 The Lady Blazers will turn around and face Mississippi College on Sunday, Nov. 2, for their Senior Day matchup. The seniors being honored are Victoria Bahr, Caroline Kimmel, Katherine Kimmel, Lydia Lewis, and Claire Timberlake. 

 The Lady Blazers have found their stride at the right time, and confidence is high heading into the final stretch. A victory on Halloween night would not only extend their win streak to four but also give the team momentum heading into Senior Day and the postseason chase.