Link to GSC Women's Soccer Tournament Page
JACKSON, Tenn. - The Union University women's soccer team is set to make history tonight at 5 p.m. when the Lady Bulldogs take the field at the University of West Alabama. The match is a quarterfinal match in the Gulf South Conference Women's Soccer Championships, the first ever appearance for the women's soccer team since becoming postseason eligible in the school's transition to NCAA DII and the GSC back in 2014.
Union enters the six-team tournament as the fifth seed and will take on fourth seeded West Alabama in Livingston, Ala. The winner of this quarterfinal match will travel to Pensacola, Fla. for a semifinal at host and No. 1 seed West Florida Friday, November 4 at 5 p.m. Second seeded Lee will play the winner of the #3 Mississippi College/#6 West Georgia match at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The championship match is set for Sunday, November 6 at 1 p.m. All semifinal and final matches will be played at West Florida.
Union head coach Isaac Brooks said, "This is an extremely exciting time for our program. It is a big step making the tournament for the first time, but, even more exciting is the fact that our girls are not willing to settle for just making the tournament. They have been on a mission to glorify God with everything that they do, and nothing less than our best is acceptable."
In their previous meeting this season, Union and West Alabama played to a 2-2 double overtime score at Union back on October 9.
Union is one of the hottest teams in the GSC over the last 12 matches, only earning one loss in that stretch. Union started the season 0-3-1 but has gone 7-1-4 in since then. Union's five ties on the season and four ties in GSC play are both conference records. Union is currently riding a three match winning streak including a 1-0 victory in a winner-in/loser-out match versus North Alabama on the final day of the regular season. Union has also posted three straight shutouts on the season. In fact, all of Union's seven wins on the season have been shutouts.
The last loss for Union came back on October 2, a 1-0 loss to second seeded Lee. Union's only other conference loss was a 4-0 loss at regular season champion West Florida.
Union senior Kayleigh Patterson was named second team All-GSC for the third time in her career. She was the only representative for Union on either of the postseason teams. However, junior goalie Kristen Francis captured GSC Defender of the Week four times, while no other goalie received more that one weekly award. Kelsey Wilkes was also a GSC Player of the Week award winner once for Union.
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