COLUMBUS - In a rematch of the 2015 NCAA National Championship, the 13th-ranked Columbus State University women's soccer team will host fourth-ranked Grand Valley State on Saturday. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Walden Soccer Complex with real-time statistics and live video available on CSUCougars.com.
Saturday is also Columbus Youth Soccer Day at the Walden Soccer Complex. The first 100 youth soccer players through the gate will receive a free t-shirt!
Tickets
Singe match tickets will be available for $5 at the Walden Soccer Complex gate.
About the Columbus State University Lady Cougars
Columbus State will be looking to rebound from a 1-0 loss to Peach Belt Conference rivals No. 25 North Georgia. CSU fired off 13 shots in the contests but was unable to find the back of the net.
It's the first time since 2015 that the Lady Cougars will be looking to snap a two-match losing streak. However, CSU went unbeaten in its next 21 matches that season to reach the NCAA National Championship.
Despite having been held scoreless over the past two matches, Columbus State is still averaging three goals per match and leads the Peach Belt Conference in total goals (15).
About the Grand Valley State Lakers
Grand Valley is also entering Saturday's showdown looking for a win after falling 1-0 to then-ranked No. 25 Minnesota State-Mankato in its last match on Sept. 15. It was the Lakers' first regular season loss since 2017.
GVSU will be playing its fourth straight match against a top-25 opponent (Lee, Bemidji State, MSU-Mankato).
When Grand Valley arrives back to Michigan on Saturday night, the team will have traveled a total of 2,722 miles over a two-week span.
Ava Cook paces the Lakers with three goals while Chantel Carranza has netted two. Goalkeeper Jessica Radice has allowed three goals in four matches.
Series History
This will be the first time Columbus State hosts Grand Valley at the Walden Soccer Complex. Overall, GVSU holds a 3-1-1 record against the Lady Cougars. CSU took the last meeting in dominating fashion winning 5-1 in 2017 in Louisville, Ky. It is also the first time that either school is hosting the match on its on campus.
Team Notes
• This will be Columbus State's second straight match, and third this season, against a ranked opponent. Last year, CSU played just one top-25 team.
• Since 2010, Columbus State is 31-14-4 against top-25 foes.
• Grand Valley will be the highest-ranked opponent Columbus State has faced off against since defeating second-ranked Carson-Newman 3-2 on Sept. 2, 2018.
• CSU will be looking to snap a two-match losing streak for the first time since 2015.
• Columbus State is in the middle of its longest homestand of the season. Saturday will be the fourth of five straight matches at the Walden Soccer Complex for the Lady Cougars.
• The Lady Cougars have never lost three consecutive matches at the Walden Soccer Complex.
National Title Rematch
Columbus State's only national championship appearance came in 2015 when the Lady Cougars met Grand Valley State in Pensacola, Fla. The Lakers scored an early goal and then held on to defeat CSU 2-0. The Lady Cougars outshot GVSU 12-10 in the match.
Since then, the two programs have met twice, including in the 2016 NCAA Tournament semifinals.
National Powerhouses
Columbus State and Grand Valley State are two of the most dominant NCAA Division II women's soccer programs in the nation. Both programs have competed in every NCAA Tournament since 2006 with the two combining for 18 national quarterfinal appearances in that span.
Neither program has lost more than four matches in a season since 2013.
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 Juggernaut
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 19th highest scoring offense in the country averaging three goals per match.
CSU ranks 11th with 15 total goals and 18th 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 48-3-1 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 262-58-24 at CSU, he is the winningest coach in PBC history. His overall coaching record of 284-74-24 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.
