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COLUMBUS – The quest for a national championship starts Sunday for the third-ranked Columbus State University women's soccer team, as the Lady Cougars begin play in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Columbus State (16-0-2) will host fourth-seeded Flagler in the second round of the Southeast Regional, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Walden Soccer Complex.
 
Sunday will have a feel of familiarity to it, as the same two teams met in the second round just one season ago. The Lady Cougars defeated Flagler 3-0 behind goals from Riley Clark, Olivia Jarrell and Brooke Nail to advance to the regional final.
 
CSU downed Flagler 4-3 in St. Augustine, Fla. back on Sept. 19. The Lady Cougars fell behind 2-0 less than seven minutes in and trailed 3-1 at halftime before netting three second-half goals to steal a victory on the road.
 
Sunday will be the 13^th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Columbus State holding a perfect 12-0-0 record against the Saints.
 
Columbus State is starting its 13^th NCAA Tournament on Sunday, five wins away from the ultimate goal. The Lady Cougars have won a second round match in each of the last four years and are 8-0-2 overall in round two. CSU is 19-8-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Lady Cougars enter Sunday's match on a run of three consecutive shutouts. CSU has shut out seven of its last nine opponents overall. Sophomore Bria Riancho has allowed just one goal in her last 847 minutes in net and earned the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week honors for her run in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.
 
Flagler (12-3-2) is the fourth-seed in the Southeast Region and reached Sunday's match with a 2-1 overtime victory over fifth-seeded Limestone on Friday. The Saints are making their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
 
Sunday's match will be streamed live on CougarSportsTV, with links available at CSUCougars.com.