COLUMBUS - The 13th-ranked Columbus State University women's soccer team will look to rebound as they open Peach Belt Conference play on Wednesday hosting No. 25 North Georgia. The match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Walden Soccer Complex with real-time statistics and live video available on CSUCougars.com.
Tickets
Single match tickets will be available for $5 at the Walden Soccer Complex gate. Season passes will also be on sale for $40. The pass will give you access to every regular season match played at the Walden Soccer Complex.
About the Columbus State University Lady Cougars
Columbus State will be in its first action since falling 2-0 to West Alabama in the final match of the CSU Collegiate Invitational on Sept. 15.
Despite being held scoreless last Sunday, the Lady Cougars still lead the Peach Belt Conference in goals (15) and shot percentage (.227).
Columbus State has four players in the top-10 in the conference in goals scored (Riley Clark, Kimmy May, Maddy Peterson, and Kimmy Edgeworth).
About the North Georgia Nighthawks
North Georgia enters Wednesday's match with a perfect 3-0 record. The Nighthawks last played on Sept. 13 blanking Valdosta State 2-0 in Dahlonega, Ga.
UNG entered the United Soccer Coaches association poll this week at the 25th position.
Junior Taylor Malasek is the leading scorer for the Nighthawks with three goals. Goalkeeper Morgan Ramby has allowed just one goal in 270 minutes in net this season.
Series History
Columbus State and North Georgia have a storied history with the two schools meeting for the 23rd time on Wednesday. CSU holds an 18-3-1 advantage over the Nighthawks. UNG did win the last meeting in Columbus 3-2 on Sept. 20, 2017.
Team Notes
• This will be the 16th PBC opener for the Lady Cougars. CSU is 10-4-1 all-time in conference openers.
• It will be the third time that Columbus State and North Georgia have begun PBC play against each other (2007 & 2008).
• Columbus State will enter the contest winners of its last 10 PBC matches.
• Wednesday's match will be Columbus State's second match against a ranked foe in 2019. In the opening weekend of the year, the Lady Cougars defeated No. 20 Barry 8-2 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
• CSU will also take on No. 4 Grand Valley State on Saturday.
• Since 2010, Columbus State is 31-13-4 against top-25 teams.
• In its last 20 ranked showdowns, Columbus State is 17-3-0 dating back to the 2015 season.
Peach Belt Conference Dominance
Columbus State has been the class of the Peach Belt Conference since the 2005 season. CSU has won 12 PBC regular season championships and eight PBC Tournament titles since the second year of the program. No other PBC program has won more than three regular season titles in conference history.
The Lady Cougars have an all-time record of 122-16-9, a .861 winning percentage, in PBC matches.
Lady Cougars in the Poll
In the latest United Soccer Coaches association poll, Columbus State is ranked 13th in the nation. CSU remains the highest ranked PBC institution.
Offensive Powerhouse
Columbus State is one of the best scoring teams in the nation at the Division II level. Despite being held scoreless in their last match, the Lady Cougars still have the 11th highest scoring offense in the country averaging 3.75 goals per match.
CSU ranks seventh with 15 total goals and 11th in total points with 36.
Spreading the Wealth
Seven different Lady Cougars have scored so far this season while 10 different players have recorded a point. Riley Clark, Maddy Peterson, and Kimmy May all have three goals to lead the way.
Homefield Advantage
The Walden Soccer Complex has been very good to Columbus State through the years. Since 2014, CSU is 48-2-1 on its home pitch.
Three Lady Cougars Named to Preseason All-PBC Team
Riley Clark, Madeline Goodfellow, and Kimmy May were named to the 11-player preseason All-PBC team.
Clark, a 2018 All-American, finished second in the conference in goals (16) and points (39). Goodfellow is one of the strongest defenders in the league helping the Lady Cougars to 10 shutouts. She was also a Google Cloud Academic All-American. May was a postseason hero for Columbus State scoring two goals in the NCAA Southeast Region championship last season. She finished the year with seven goals and 10 assists.
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 262-57-24 at CSU, he is the winningest coach in PBC history. His overall coaching record of 284-73-24 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.
