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By: Stephen Williams

AMERICUS, Ga. – Behind three first half goals from junior Nicole Corcione, the 17^th-ranked Columbus State University women's soccer team exploded for a 7-0 win at Georgia Southwestern on Tuesday afternoon. The Peach Belt Conference match was played at the GSW Soccer Field in Americus, Ga.
 
Corcione's hat trick was the first of the season by a Lady Cougar, and the first since Kiana Nicholson netted a trio of goals in the 2014 PBC semifinal match against UNC Pembroke.
 
The Lady Cougars outshot Georgia Southwestern (2-7-0, 0-4-0) 44-2 on the day, the highest single-game shot total in CSU program history.
 
The scoring got started early for Columbus State (8-2-1, 4-0-1), with the first goal going on the board in just the third minute. Olivia Jarrell set up Chelsea Person inside the box and the redshirt-senior tapped it home for her fifth goal of the season and her third in the last two matches.
 
Three minutes later, it was Shelby Rolling that found the net to make it 2-0. Taylor Marks set it up for the senior and Rolling cashed it in for her third tally of the season.
 
It then became Corcione's match offensively as she scored the next three goals for the Lady Cougars. Sophomore Hugrun Elvarsdottir set up the first in the 11^th minute before Person picked up an assist 10 minutes later. The hat trick was capped off in the 36^th minute as the Candler, N.C. native buried a penalty kick to open up a 5-0 advantage that CSU would take into halftime.
 
After the break, the Lady Cougars added two more goals in the opening 11 minutes.
 
Junior Mandy Janowitz found herself involved on both plays, finishing a pass from Tori Hood in the 52^nd minute for her fourth goal of the year and picking up an assist four minutes later. A shot from Janowitz was saved by Elyse Gowen, but the rebound wound up with freshman Kelsey Lawrence who put it home for the first goal of her collegiate career.
 
The margin would hold at 7-0 the rest of the way despite the Lady Cougars putting 14 more shots on the net.
 
Junior Maylyn Parsons played a clean 45 minutes in half to earn the victory, making a save on the only GSW shot on goal of the match. Freshman Paige Betsill played a spotless second half for the Lady Cougars.
 
Columbus State will have one day of rest before welcoming Emmanuel to town for the first ever meeting between the two programs on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Walden Soccer Complex.