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By:
Josh Fuller
COLUMBUS – In search of the program's 10th appearance in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship, the fifth-ranked Columbus State University women's soccer team will have to get by one of its biggest rivals facing off against Armstrong State in the PBC Tournament semifinals Friday. The match will take place at Blanchard Woods Parks in Evans, Ga. at 5 p.m.
Last Time Out
Columbus State (16-2-0) had no problem taking down eighth-seeded Montevallo 5-0 Wednesday in the opening round of the PBC Tournament. It took just seven minutes for the Lady Cougars to score as
Nicole Corcione found the back of the net. The senior ended the day with the goal and two assists, while
Olivia Jarrell scored a goal and tallied an assist as well.
Entlich on the Matchup
"Each step gets tougher and there isn't a tougher opponent than Armstrong State," said head coach
Jay Entlich. "They know how to win and they aren't going to lay down for us. We have to go out there and play our style and let things take care of themselves."
Series History
Friday's matchup will be the 20th meeting in the storied history between Columbus State and Armstrong State. CSU holds the overall edge at 11-5-3, but the series is much tighter in postseason play. The two sides have met in the PBC Tournament five previous times, including four in the title match, with the series record standing at 2-2-1. In all, the two sides have battled in seven postseason matches.
Last Meeting
Columbus State struck early and added on two goals in the second half to defeat the Pirates 3-0 on October 27 in Savannah. Senior
Mandy Janowitz had two goals for the Lady Cougars in what was Armstrong State's worst home loss since 2008.
About Armstrong State
Armstrong ended the season with a 12-3-2 record to earn the fourth seed in the PBC Tournament. In their quarterfinal matchup, the Pirates knocked off fifth-seeded Young Harris 2-0 to advance to Evans.
The Pirates are also fighting for their NCAA Tournament hopes. Armstrong State is currently fifth in the latest NCAA Southeast Region Poll, with the top six teams advancing to the national tournament.
Jenny Allen and Sarah Olin each have seven goals for the Pirates this season. Olin leads the team with points with 18.
Erica Laurens has started all but one match for the Pirates and is one of the top goalkeepers in the PBC. Laurens has a .831 save percentage and is third in league in goals-against average (0.68).
Armstrong has won three PBC Tournament titles in program history.
CSU Notes
Columbus State set the program record with its 10th straight shutout Wednesday against Montevallo. The Lady Cougars haven't allowed a goal in 933 straight minutes.
In addition,
Maylyn Parsons tied the PBC record with her 27th career shutout. Parsons has allowed just eight goals this season in over 1330 minutes in net and leads the conference with a 0.54 goals-against average.
The Lady Cougars have five players that rank in the top-10 in the PBC in points.
Columbus State has won seven consecutive PBC matches on its way to back-to-back championships the last two years. The Lady Cougars have a six conference tournaments championships in all.
