COLUMBUS - The Columbus State University women's soccer team will face off against Albany State in a Peach Belt Conference matchup on Wednesday. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the West Campus Field in Albany, Ga.
About the Columbus State University Lady Cougars
The Lady Cougars are coming off of an impressive 9-0 victory over USC Aiken on Saturday in Columbus. With the win, CSU improved to 18-0-0 all-time against the Pacers.
Wednesday's match will begin a season-long three-match road swing for Columbus State. After taking on Albany State, the Lady Cougars will travel to Georgia College and Georgia Southwestern.
Columbus State (8-6, 3-4 PBC) jumped to seventh in the PBC standings after Sunday's win. CSU is now three points back from the fourth spot with the top-eight teams advancing to the PBC Tournament.
About the Albany State University Golden Rams
Albany State is in its first season as associate members of the Peach Belt Conference.
The Golden Rams have dropped five straight after falling 4-0 to Francis Marion on Sunday. Overall, ASU is 3-7 and 1-5 in conference play.
Thuto Ramafifi is having an excellent season for Albany State leading the team with seven goals and five assists. She ranks inside the top-10 in the conference in points (fifth), goals (sixth), and assists (third).
Series History
Wednesday will be the first-ever meeting between Columbus State and Albany State.
Match Notes
• Columbus State is on a season-long four-match winning streak.
• In Sunday's win against USC Aiken, CSU set season-highs in points (26), goals (nine), assists (eight), and shots on goal (18). The 26 overall shots are also tied for the most in a match this season (Tampa, Sept. 13).
• With their nine goals versus the Pacers, the Lady Cougars are now 12th in the nation in total goals (39) and 20th in scoring offense (2.79 goals per match).
• Columbus State hasn't allowed a goal in over 247 minutes of action.
• Overall, CSU now has four shutouts this season.
• In their four-match winning streak, the Lady Cougars are outscoring their opponents 17-1.
A Day to Remember
Kimmy Edgeworth made Columbus State history on Sunday against USC Aiken. The sophomore became the first Lady Cougar to score four goals in a match, and just the 24th player in Peach Belt Conference history, to achieve the feat. She had a first half hat trick before adding her final tally in the 59th minute.
Edgeworth also recorded an assist in the match to tie her teammate Maddie DeFranco's school record for points in a match with nine.
For her efforts, Edgeworth was named the PBC Player of the Week. She is the second straight Lady Cougar to win the award.
Freshman named PBC Defender of the Week
After helping Columbus State to back-to-back shutouts, Carley Canzoneri became the second straight Lady Cougar to be named the PBC Defender of the Week.
Canzoneri was crucial in Columbus State's 1-0 victory over previously unbeaten Nova Southeastern on Oct. 16. Playing the entire 90 minutes, the freshman made key stops throughout the match as the Lady Cougars shutout the nation's top-scoring offense. Canzoneri and the defense were back at it on Sunday limiting USC Aiken to five shots.
The Suwanne, Ga. native also scored her first collegiate goal against USC Aiken.
Fall Magic
The Lady Cougars have been once of the most successful programs in the entire nation since 2013, but in the month of October, CSU seems to hit its stride. Over the last six-plus seasons, Columbus State has posted a record of 55-5 in October. The .917 winning percentage is the highest of any month for CSU.
Balanced Scoring Attack
A few new faces got into the scoring column for the first time in 2019 in CSU's 9-0 victory against USC Aiken on Sunday. Carley Canzoneri, Sarah Beth Nies, and Rachael Sweigard all netted their first goals in the match.
Overall in 2019, 13 different Lady Cougars have scored with 16 players recording at least a point through 14 matches.
Climbing the Record Books
Riley Clark continues to be a scoring machine for Columbus State. The senior has scored in seven consecutive matches, the longest such streak in her career. In three out of the previous four matches, Clark has found the back of the net before the 10th minute.
Clark is now tied for third all-time in Columbus State history with 48 goals with former All-Americans Gina Goforth (2006-09) and Nicole Corcione (2013-16). She is also tied with Goforth for fourth all-time in career points (109).
In Peach Belt Conference history, Clark is tied for sixth in goals and ninth in points.
Flo Spano is also moving up on the all-time assist list in Columbus State and Peach Belt Conference history. With her five assists this season, Spano has 27 in her career to rank fourth all-time at Columbus State. The senior is seventh in the PBC record book.
Entlich Among the Nation's Best
Since starting the program in 2004, Jay Entlich has established CSU women's soccer into a national powerhouse. With an overall record of 267-62-24 at CSU, he is the winningest coach in PBC history. His overall coaching record of 289-78-24 puts him eighth all-time at the NCAA Division II level.
He has coached four PBC Player of the Year award winners and has been named the conference's Coach of the Year in every season since 2014.
