CLEVELAND, Tenn. –– With one minute and nine seconds remaining in the second overtime, a header goal from Lee’s Kelsey Yoder handed No. 5-seeded Valdosta State a 1-0 loss in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Gulf South Conference Championship. With the loss, VSU fell to 11-7 on the year, while Lee improved to 15-4.

Yoder received the pass from Lauren Weimer for the header and winner at the 108:51 mark in the match as it was closing in on going to penalty kicks. VSU junior goalkeeper Caroline Embler was outstanding despite the loss, as she had 11 saves in the match on 23 shots faced.

VSU tallied eight shots for the match with five on frame, while the Flames had 23 shots with 12 on net. Lee goalkeeper Taylor Green had five saves and the shutout.

The Blazers, who entered the postseason winners of five straight, including a 2-0 win over Lee last Thursday evening in Valdosta, were led by senior Taylor Snell as she had four shots with three on frame. Sophomore Lauren Hicks had two shots and one on goal, while senior Ashley Lewis had one shot on frame.

For Lee, Riley Engels had seven shots and one on frame, while Mallory Hayden had six shots and five on goal.

The first half saw both teams combine for eight shots and four saves, while VSU had three corner kick opportunities with all three of its shots on frame. In the second half, Lee poured the pressure on, outshooting VSU 12-2, but Embler was up to the task with seven saves in the period as she faced the barrage of shots.

VSU had two shots with one on frame in overtime, while Lee had three shots and two on goal, including the winner in the extra-period.

The loss most likely ends the season for the Blazers, but not without a great deal of success as head coach Stephen Andrew tallied double-digit wins for the third-straight season and sixth overall in the nine-year history of the program. The 11-7 record ties last year’s win total and is tied for the third-most wins in program history in a season, while the 9-4 conference mark this season also matches last year and the nine wins ties for the most wins in conference play in a season in school history.

Individually, Lewis and Tennant finish their stories careers as the top two all-time leaders in goals scored and points. Lewis finishes with 31 goals, seven assists and 69 points, while Tennant caps her career with 29 goals, 13 assists and 71 points. Lewis leads the school record book with 14 game winners for her career.

Since Andrew has taken over the program in 2017, the Blazers have gone 32-20-3 overall and 26-12-2 in GSC play, while qualifying for the GSC postseason championship each season. The previous two years before Andrew arrived, VSU won just five matches.