COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Columbus State University women's soccer team started the tournament off with a come from behind win versus the University of North Georgia. The Cougars worked out of a 2-1 halftime deficit thanks to
Rachael Sweigard's hat trick. Columbus State held off the Nighthawks 4-2 in their victory on Friday, Nov. 11 at the Walden Soccer Complex.
The atmosphere at The Walden Soccer Complex was at an all-time high before kick-off and it showed after
Emma Beddow scored a penalty kick in the seventh minute of the match.
North Georgia did not go away quietly and gave the Cougars all they could handle as they scored in the 13th and 29th minute of the first half. The Nighthawks were neck and neck with Columbus State in the first half as they shocked the Cougars leading 2-1 at half.
Experience is what you need in dogfights like these in the postseason tournament, and Sweigard provided CSU with the spark they needed in the 61st minute off a beautiful corner kick from
Maria Kilset. Sweigard was able to head a fireball into the back of the net, and her spectacular day continued in the 73rd minute as she bobbed and weaved through the UNG defense to put the Cougars in front.
The Cougars played free after that as it seemed they had the ball deep in Nighthawk territory for the rest of the game. Sweigard put the icing on the cake in the 83rd minute as she did her best Beddow impression and scored a penalty kick to give the Cougars some insurance.
It should be noted that CSU played some of their most dominate ball of the season in the second half as UNG was only able to mustard one shot on goal the entire half. Add another scoreless half to
Sara Halilhodzic's resume.
Up Next:
With this win, CSU moves to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a matchup against Lenoir-Rhyne University, who defeated Limestone University earlier on Friday. The fifth-seeded Bears look to recreate their play from the first round as they take on the top-seeded Cougars. Kickoff is scheduled for noon on Sunday, Nov. 13 at The Walden Soccer Complex.
