MACON, Ga. – The Devilettes of Mississippi Valley State overcame a two-goal deficit by halftime but were unable to continue that momentum in a season-opening 5-2 setback to the Citadel on Friday.
 
Laadi Issaka and Karenth Zabala-Terrazas scored their first goals of the season for Valley, who will face Mercer on Sunday at 2 p.m. The match between the Devilettes and Mercer can be viewed on the SoCon Digital Network.
 
The Citadel built (1-0-0) built a 2-0 lead 25 minutes after the opening whistle mark with goals from Logan Dix and Kessy Bradshaw. Zabala-Terrazas cut Valley's deficit in half at the half-hour mark when she recovered a rebound off her own blocked shot and put the second effort into the back of the net.
 
Issaka, Mississippi Valley State's top returning scorer from 2017, leveled the score with a strike in the 35th minute.
 
The Citadel added three more goals in the second half to secure the match result.