Valdosta State’s Leanne Bishop (19) heads the ball during the Lady Blazers’ 6-0 win over Georgia Southwestern Thursday evening at the VSU Soccer Complex.

It was a spectacular debut for the Valdosta State Lady Blazers.

In the first soccer game in school history, playing in front of a packed house, Valdosta State dominated Georgia Southwestern State, and earned a 6-0 victory at the VSU Soccer Complex.

It was a great start for VSU’s newest athletic team.

“I think that everybody is just stoked right now,” said midfielder Hannah Mulkey, who scored the Lady Blazers’ first goal. “I am super proud. Everybody worked the hardest that they could.”

“Words can’t describe it. The feeling is just unimaginable,” defender Shealy Kulp added.

“I am proud of this team,” VSU head coach Mel Heinz said.

The stands were filled, and the fans who couldn’t get a seat lined up along the fence to cheer on the Lady Blazers. The official attendance was 1,577 — one of the 20 highest attendance totals in Division II women’s soccer history. The Lady Blazers gave all of their fans plenty of reasons to cheer.

“It was the biggest turnout for a soccer game I’ve ever been to,” Mulkey said. “Being out here on the field, it was just awesome.”

“We had a great crowd tonight,” Heinz added.

Valdosta State hardly looked like a team playing its first game. The Lady Blazers outplayed Georgia Southwestern in every phase of the game. They outshot the Lady Hurricanes 22-1. They controlled the midfield. They kept the ball in the Lady Hurricanes’ side of the field for much of the game. Their defense limited Georgia Southwestern to only one shot.

“I think we played really, really well,” Kulp said. “There might be a couple of things we need to work on, but all in all, we definitely looked really good, I thought.”

The first goal in VSU soccer history came in the 17th minute. Kulp dribbled the ball towards the goal, then passed to Mulkey, who was unguarded in the box, 15 yards from the goal. Mulkey’s header sailed over the outstretched arms of Georgia Southwestern goalie Amber Bahari and went into the goal. The crowd erupted in cheers, and the Lady Blazers led 1-0.

“I was really excited,” Mulkey said. “It was definitely all of my teammates’ work, and I just happened to be the one that was right there.”

VSU nearly had two more goals soon after the first one, but Bahari made a couple of big saves.

In the 36th minute, Kulp had the ball about 30 yards from the goal, and unleashed a powerful shot. The shot was perfect, going into the upper right-hand corner of the goal and giving the Lady Blazers a 2-0 lead.

“Coach has been telling me day after day at practice that’s my sweet spot, take my shots there, and I took her advice and took my shot, and thankfully it went in,” Kulp said.

The Lady Blazers headed to the locker room with a 2-0 halftime lead.

In the 54th minute, Abbi Edwards sent a pass into the box that was deflected towards the goal. Bahari made a diving stop, but the deflection went right to Valdosta State’s Emily Gray Powell, who knocked the ball into the goal. That gave the Lady Blazers a 3-0 lead.

In the 74th minute, a VSU player passed into the box in front of the goal. An unmarked Emily Cooper was waiting, and the Lady Blazers’ captain unleashed a blast that beat Bahari and went into the left side of the net for the Lady Blazers’ fourth goal.

In the 81st minute, Georgia Southwestern made a bad pass in the box. The ball rolled right to Kayla Reid, who kicked it into the left side of the goal to give VSU a 5-0 lead.

Five minutes later, Casey Ponder’s pass deflected off of a defender and went right to Reid, who was charging into the box. She was one-on-one with the goalie, and beat her to the left side for her second goal of the night. That made the final score 6-0.

Valdosta State goalie Olivia Mills was hardly challenged in the game. In the 38th minute, she made a sliding stop near the top of the box to halt the Lady Hurricanes’ best scoring chance.

Other than that, VSU’s defense kept Georgia Southwestern from getting any good chances.

The Lady Blazers will return to the field on Monday, when they play Queens at 11 a.m. at the VSU Soccer Complex.