Written by Sam Scott

JACKSON, Tenn. – When the Gulf South Conference regular season came to an end on Sunday afternoon, Union women's soccer had already secured its second-ever GSC Championship berth – and its first since 2016.

The Bulldogs, who finished fifth in the regular season with a 7-6-0 GSC mark, will travel to Montevallo, Ala., for a quarterfinal fixture with the fourth-seeded Falcons (10-4-3, 7-3-3) this Saturday at 5 p.m. Montevallo got the better of Union in Jackson by a 2-0 decision on October 20.

"We are extremely excited and proud of finishing the season as the fifth seed in the Gulf South Conference," said head coach Josh Alford. "The GSC is one of the toughest DII conferences in the nation."

The second-year helmsman's side has compiled what is easily one of the most successful seasons in its affiliation with the GSC. The Bulldogs' total of seven conference triumphs sets a new Division II-era school record, while eight wins overall are the most since 2012, Union's first year of provisional GSC membership.

This year's squad is anchored by goalkeeper Rylee Iorio, whose five clean sheets in 13 conference appearances rank third among GSC stoppers. The graduate student led the league with 5.15 saves per game en route to her newly acquired status as Union's all-time saves leader. Iorio needs just one rejection on Saturday to reach 300 in her career – a plateau only six active goalkeepers in Division II women's soccer have mounted.

Madison Woolridge, Union's scoring leader, has averaged almost a goal per full match played, scoring on six shots in only 595 minutes. Three Bulldogs – Lucia Revuelto, Ava Duval, and Sophie Walsh – have contributed a trio of goals apiece.

Alford looks toward the future of his program with expectation: "I'm excited to see this team continue to show their determination and fight going into the postseason. I am hopeful we can add a few more wins to our record. I hope this propels our program and we can build a team that is consistently competitive in our conference and in the nation."

Union women's soccer has taken remarkable steps of progress in recent years. Between the 2018 and 2019 seasons and the abbreviated 2020 campaign, the program outscored its opponent in a paltry total of three games. In 2022, Alford's first year as coach, the team won four. Now, he's looking at nine.

"The group of players that I inherited wanted to be the group that started to change things for the better," Alford said. "I knew with that kind of attitude we could succeed. With the addition of a few new players, the team has produced some wonderful achievements for the program including a respectable fifth-seed finish. The girls have put in a lot of hard work and their determination on the pitch has been impressive. They deserve the credit for their successes!"

Coach Alford recognized those around him who have worked to make this season possible. "Coach [Mercedes] Padilla and Coach [Chris] Baker have also made a big impact," he said, "[along with] everyone from past to current staff, athletic trainers, strength coaches, SIDs. I am also blessed to work with a supportive administration."

With a win on Saturday, Union would play either regular-season champ West Florida or eighth-seeded West Alabama on Thursday, Nov. 9, in Huntsville, Ala. The GSC title will be awarded two days later.

Union is 0-1 in GSC tournament games. In 2016, the Bulldogs fell to 4-seed West Alabama 1-0. Union was also the 5-seed in 2016.

GSC postseason seeding is as follows, with seed number and conference points listed: West Florida – 1 (36); Lee – 2 (35); Mississippi College – 3 (28); Montevallo – 4 (24); Union – 5 (21); Valdosta State – 6 (20); West Georgia – 7 (20); West Alabama – 8 (19).

-UNION-