LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Having been in one of the top spots in the conference throughout the season, the West Alabama women's soccer team will begin the Gulf South Conference Championships by hosting Delta State this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Terry Bunn Field at Tiger Stadium.
Since this is a Gulf South Conference event being hosted by UWA, per GSC policy there will be an admission charge. General admission is $10 (which covers both games). All ticketing is electronic and may be purchased at the Hometown Ticket app or at the gate.
UWA Students should use their valid UWA ID number in the "Have a Passcode" box to unlock your free ticket. The cost for all other students is $5. Children five and under will be admitted free.
Also since this is a Gulf South Conference event, the live broadcast will be provided through the conference's partnership with FloSports, meaning there will be a fee to access the broadcast. The link for the feed can be found here. Mark Davis will provide play-by-play. Live stats will also be available for the game and can be found here.
Soccer fans will be treated to complimentary hot dogs and water while supplies last beginning at 4 p.m.
The Tigers finished the regular season with a 10-5-1 overall record and 9-3-1 conference mark to finish third. UWA finished just a few points back of Mississippi College for second and West Florida claimed the conference crown with a 12-1 conference mark. Their only loss was at West Alabama.
"Delta State will be a really tough game, one of the toughest, but I can't complain about my team because to finish third in such a competitive league with a young squad is a testament to them," head coach Graeme Orr said. "We struggled a bit on the road at Delta State in Cleveland, Miss., in September, it's one of the toughest away games in the GSC. With the ball they have incredible quality and with Rainey Niles is a special talent. However, this is the playoffs now and in moments we will have to be resilient and show outstanding technique when we have our opportunities. With Maria Mon, we have a remarkable talent with vast experience which we hope will pay dividends."
UWA will look forward to playing at home once again as they have gone 7-0 in Livingston this season, with three of those wins being shutouts.
Other first round matchups include: #1 West Florida hosting #8 West Georgia, #2 Mississippi College hosting #7 Christian Brothers, and #4 Montevallo hosting #5 Lee. Winners of the first round matches will advance to the semifinal round that will take place Friday, November 4 at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala.
"I am extremely proud of our young team throughout the conference this year to place third. We have shown great resilience and strength throughout the past few months. This would also not have been possible without the great coaching and setup provided by coach Orr and coach (Morgan) Brown," Paige Laidler said. "However, now everyone in the conference has a clean slate and therefore it's important we show up each and every moment we get. I have great confidence in our squad, and I am very excited to see what this 2022 championship tournament can bring."
Reaching the postseason tournament has become a regularity for head coach Orr and the Tigers. Last year, UWA defeated Mississippi College on the road in the first round before falling in penalty kicks in the semifinals to West Georgia. UWA hosted during the shortened 2020 season, opening with a home win over Shorter and then defeated Valdosta State before falling to Mississippi College in the next round.
During the regular year in 2019, UWA won 12 games and hosted West Florida with the Argos claiming the one-goal win. Since 2014, the Tigers have hosted six matches and have gone 5-1 during that time.
UWA has gone 6-1-1 over their final eight games of the regular season, with the streak ironically starting after the road trip to Delta State and Mississippi College.
UWA and Delta State played back on Sep. 23 in Cleveland, Miss., that went to Delta State by a score of 1-0. It was a defensive battle, as the teams combined for 12 total shots, with eight on goal. Delta State held the 8-4 edge in overall shots and 5-3 on target. Laidler tallied two shots (one on goal), while Sierra O'Grady and Dana Cruz also picked up shots on goal. Maria Mon made four saves.
The Tigers have scored 31 goals this year, allowing just 18. UWA has 166 shots (77 on goal), while allowing 166 shots (87 on goal).
Dana Cruz leads the team in points with 20, coming away with seven goals and six assists. Laidler has 11 points with five goals and an assist. Mikayla Anderson and Anna Dickov each have seven points, with Anderson tallying two goals and three assists, while Dickov has three goals and an assist. Selis Demirci has six points, with a goal and four assists. Aileen Charles has two goals and an assist for five points. Camilla Bedin, Emily Callahan, Venla Makela, O'Grady and Saylor Richard all have four points.
"I am very proud with how our team has grown both on and off the field," Cruz said. "The season was challenging, but we fought alongside one another, and dug deep when we needed to. We must now focus on taking one game at a time."
Richard and Lucy Horn have played pretty much every minute of each game this season, with Horn playing 1,440 minutes and Richard at 1,420. Mon is third at 1,374 and Laidler has played 1,328 minutes.
In goal, Mon has started 16 games, coming away with 10 wins and five shutouts (three solo). She also has 67 saves and holds a 78.8 save percentage.
"After a successful season with our young enthusiastic squad, I'm very proud of all the girls' hard work and resilience to keep going this season and secure the home draw for the first round of the conference tournament," Horn said. "I know the team and the staff are very excited about the challenge of playing on Sunday, and we hope we can continue our success and proceed to the next round of the tournament."
UWA ranks third in the GSC in points per game (5.31), fifth in assists per game (1.438) and sixth in goals per game (1.938).
Cruz is tied for sixth in the GSC in goals (7), tied for sixth in assists (6), and seventh in points (20). Laidler is tied for ninth in the GSC in shots on goal (18), tied for ninth in game-winning goals (2). Richard is also tied for ninth in game-winning goals (2). Mon ranks fifth in the GSC in save percentage (78.8), sixth in saves per game (4.19), seventh in goals against average (1.179) and ninth in shutouts per game (.188).
Delta State enters the tournament with a 10-6-2 overall record and 7-4-2 mark in conference play. They have gone 5-2 in road contests. During the last road trip to close the regular season, Delta State lost 2-0 at West Florida and then defeated Spring Hill, 1-0. Since the win over UWA, DSU is 4-2-2 to close the regular season.
Delta State has scored 31 goals on 212 shots, with 100 on goal. Opponents have scored 18 goals on 152 shots, with 67 on goal. Jae'lasha Julien leads the team with 14 points on six goals and two assists. Rylee McGee has 12 points with five goals and two assists. Poppy Derhun and Ella McQueen each have 10 points, with Derhun collecting two goals and six assists, while McQueen has four goals and two assists. Robyn Moody has eight points off of four goals. In goal, Bailey Daugherty has started 18 games, collecting 10 wins and eight shutouts (seven solo). She has made 48 saves and holds a 72.7 save percentage.
UWA has gone 9-4 in the series since 2011, while Delta State has won the past three meetings. The Tigers won seven straight in the series before the three-game winning streak for DSU. UWA is 5-1 at home in Livingston during that time with the only loss in most recent meeting in 2021 with DSU taking the 2-0 victory.
Original source can be found here.
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