CLEVELAND, Miss. - West Alabama's women's soccer team fought hard but couldn't overcome a two-goal deficit, falling 2-1 to Delta State (3-3-5, 2-2-4 GSC) on Sunday afternoon.

Despite a late penalty kick goal by Amy Denholm, the Tigers (2-7-3, 1-5-3 GSC) couldn't find the equalizer as Delta State held firm to secure the win.

The game saw a scoreless first half before Delta State broke through early in the second period. Chloe Jackson put the Statesmen ahead in the 48th minute, slotting the ball into the bottom left corner after a pass from Casey Stalder. Five minutes later, Delta State doubled their lead with Chloe Colquhoun's strike to the top right corner of the net, assisted by Ava Webster.

West Alabama created chances but struggled to break down Delta State's defense. The Tigers took nine shots in total, but only two were on target. Denholm's penalty kick in the 83rd minute gave West Alabama a glimmer of hope, bringing the score to 2-1 after she calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

West Alabama struggled to find a consistent offensive rhythm throughout the match, managing only nine total shots with just two on target, compared to Delta State's 12 shots, five of which were on goal. Delta State's ability to apply pressure also resulted in 10 corner kicks, while UWA only managed four. Defensively, West Alabama goalkeeper Dior Wilson made three key saves to keep the Tigers in the game. In contrast, Delta State's goalkeeper Olivia Griffin needed just one save to maintain the lead.

Both teams played physically, with West Alabama committing 12 fouls, while Delta State committed nine.
However, despite several yellow cards, Delta State's defense stayed strong to preserve their lead until the final whistle.

West Alabama looks to bounce back as they face Alabama-Huntsville on Friday, October 25th, at 5 p.m. in their Homecoming (Red Wave) match.