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By:
Stephen Williams
COLUMBUS – The fifth-ranked and top-seeded Columbus State University women's soccer team will continue its run in the postseason on Friday with a third-round matchup against 20
th-ranked and second-seeded North Georgia. The match will be played at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Last Time Out
Columbus State (19-2-0) scored a pair of goals in the first 11 minutes to jump in front of rival Armstrong State, but the Pirates answered back with two of their own.
Georgia Barton then struck for two goals before halftime and added a third late in the second half as CSU advanced behind a 5-2 win.
Entlich on the Matchup
"There are no secrets between these two teams. Past results don't mean anything on Friday. We have to come out and play our best if we want our season to continue."
Series History
Friday's matchup will be the 20
th all-time meeting between the two programs, with CSU holding a 16-2-1 edge. This will be the third time the two teams have met this season and the eighth time over the last three seasons. Columbus State eliminated North Georgia 2-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament one year ago.
Last Meeting
Columbus State jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind goals from
Hugrun Elvarsdottir,
Olivia Jarrell and
Mandy Janowitz. North Georgia clawed its way back with a pair of late goals, but CSU captured the Peach Belt Conference championship with a 3-2 victory.
About North Georgia
North Georgia (15-2-3) advanced to Friday's Southeast Region final with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Carson-Newman.
The Nighthawks rallied from down 3-1 late in the match and scored three goals over the final 15 minutes to steal away the victory.
Friday will be uncharted water for the Nighthawks, as UNG will be playing in the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
North Georgia continues to rank second in the Peach Belt Conference in scoring with 69 goals on the season.
Rachel VanHorn leads the PBC with 21 goals, including two in the win over Carson-Newman.
CSU Notes
The Lady Cougars are seeking their third straight regional championship on Friday night after defeating Lenoir-Rhyne and Carson-Newman in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
CSU is making its seventh appearance in the Southeast Region final and aiming for a fifth championship.
Columbus State's five goals against Armstrong State were the most in a match by any team in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
CSU still leads the country in scoring offense at 4.38 goals per match and is tied for the overall goals lead with 92 tallies on the season.
The Lady Cougars have four players with at least 10 goals on the season, led by sophomore
Olivia Jarrell with 18.
Jarrell enters Friday's match just one goal shy of the program's single-season record of 19 goals, set by Stephanie Lowery in 2010.
