MONTEVALLO, Ala. – For the second season in a row, Montevallo is set to host the first round of the 2023 Gulf South Conference Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 4.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
The Falcons enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed after posting a 7-3-3 league record and a 10-4-3 mark overall. Montevallo earned the home matchup with a four consecutive shutout victories in the final two weeks of the season. Montevallo will face off with fifth-seeded Union at 5 p.m. Saturday evening.
So Far This Season…
Montevallo enters the tournament as the fourth seed with a total of 24 league points. The Falcons opened the year with a 3-1 record in non-conference action before going on a four-game unbeaten streak to begin league play with wins over Valdosta State and Shorter with a pair of ties coming against then No. 18 Lee and West Georgia. Montevallo hit a rough patch midway through the season with three-consecutive losses to West Alabama, Alabama Huntsville, and West Florida before bouncing back with a 1-1 draw against Spring Hill. The Falcons closed the regular season on a tear with five-consecutive victories by two goals. Montevallo began its final push with a 3-1 victory on the road at Auburn Montgomery before defeating Union, Christian Brothers, Mississippi College, and Delta State each by a score of 2-0.
Scouting Union: WATCH | LIVE STATS
Union earned the No. 5 seed with a 7-6 conference record and an overall record of 8-8-1 with 21 league points. The Lady Bulldogs posted a 1-2-1 record in the non-conference schedule before opening conference play with a pair of wins over Christian Brothers and Delta State. Union then fell to Mississippi College, West Georgia and Valdosta State in quick succession before bouncing back with a three-game win streak over West Alabama, Alabama Huntsville, and Spring Hill. UU dropped matches with West Florida and Montevallo before taking victories over Auburn Montgomery and Shorter. In its final regular season game, Union fell to No. 7 Lee, 4-0. The Lady Bulldog attack is led by Madison Woolridge with six goals and twelve points on the year with six other Lady Bulldogs scoring multiple goals. The Union backline headed by GSC Defensive Player of the Year Rylee Iorio who boasts a 7-7-1 record with 81 saves and 20 goals allowed.
Series History Against Union:
Since 2017, Montevallo and Union have met once each season with Montevallo holding a 6-0 record over the Lady Bulldogs. The series began with back-to-back road wins for the Falcons before taking the first matchup in Montevallo 3-1 in 2019. The Falcons managed consecutive shutout victories in 2020 and 2021 before taking a 2-1 win on Sept. 18, 2022. Montevallo posted one of its 10 shutouts in 2023 at Union with a 2-0 win on Oct. 20.
Player Highlights:
Montevallo's scoring is led by freshman forward
Lainey Farabaugh with five goals and one assist for a total of 11 points on the season. 2023 All-GSC Second Team midfielder
Kaeri Ward is second on the squad, along with veteran midfielder
Kieran Burkey, with four goals through 17 contests. Montevallo's goal keeping corps is led by senior
Emily Hounsell who has posted a 7-3-1 record on the year with seven clean sheets for the second-most among GSC leaders.
Statistically Speaking:
Montevallo has allowed the third-least goals in the league with just 10 goals through 17 games. The Falcons rank fifth in the league with a 1.824 scoring average with just a .588 goal against average while the Falcons scoring margin of 1.23 ranks fourth among league leaders. Montevallo's goalkeepers are third in conference with a .839 save percentage.
