COLUMBUS – The No. 2-ranked Columbus State University Women's Soccer program hosts one final regular season home match on Saturday afternoon as North Georgia visits the Walden Soccer Complex for Homecoming and Senior Day.
 
Saturday's match will see the top two teams in the Peach Belt Conference clash in what could be a deciding match in the regular season championship race. The Lady Cougars (12-0-1, 6-0-0 PBC) welcome the Nighthawks (9-2-1, 5-1-1 PBC) for a 2 p.m. ET kick off for a chance to secure the program's 15th PBC Regular Season Championship title.
 
Columbus State currently sits atop of the PBC standings with 18 points and can snag the PBC Regular Season Championship with a win against UNG. CSU can add a potential of six additional points with two more conference matches to play after Saturday. UNG is second in the PBC with 16 points and will have one more conference match after Saturday.
 
Both programs have a storied history against one another as in-state rivals and regular contenders for PBC dominance. However, long-time history leans in favor of the Lady Cougars as CSU has notched a 24-6-1 record over the Nighthawks.
 
Last season, UNG defeated CSU in the regular season finale to secure the regular season championship, but Columbus State returned the favor in the conference tournament. The Lady Cougars defeated the Nighthawks 3-1 in the tournament championship, avenging the regular season loss and securing the program's ninth tournament title.
 
North Georgia is coming off a 3-0 home victory against Clayton State (Ga.) on Wednesday night, bouncing-back from a 1-0 loss against Georgia Southwestern a week ago. Bailey Oetinger scored a goal and assisted one against the Lakers on Wednesday to take the team lead in points with 15.
 
Offensively, the Nighthawks are led by Oetinger who has scored six goals and assisted three. Sam Cottle follows behind Oetinger with 13 points while Darby Olive and Adleigh Wheeler have 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Both programs' attacking corps will be challenged with the opposing backlines, as the high-powered offenses will need to make the most of each opportunity in the final third. North Georgia has outscored their opponents 39-11 while Columbus State has bested opponents 65-7. Defensively, both teams have held opposing offenses to just over six shots per game, however, the Lady Cougars hold the edge in opposing shot on goal percentage (36.7%) compared to the Nighthawks' percentage (57.9%).
 
Columbus State's offensive prowess will certainly be tested on Saturday with an opportunity to make a statement, hoping to continue the momentum from Wednesday. CSU is coming off a dominant showing on Wednesday evening in the 5-0 victory against Georgia Southwestern.
 
The Lady Cougars continue to lead as the top team in NCAA DII in total goals (65) with a 16-goal cushion. CSU also remains as the leader in total points (170), goals per game (5.00), shots per game (25.15), and shots on goal per game (13.54).
 
Emma Beddow is fourth-best in the nation with eight assists and continues as the team leader with 22 total points, scoring seven goals as well. On Wednesday, Ui Suzuki joined Beddow and Michelle Medina with each totaling seven goals apiece.
 
The Lady Cougars now have 11 student-athletes who have tallied nine or more points while 14 student-athletes have scored two or more goals for CSU. Columbus State has notched five players with three or more assists as well.
 
On the defensive end, CSU has done a fantastic job at holding opposing teams to just seven goals and an average of 6.1 shots per game. The Lady Cougars have produced two PBC Defenders of the Week this season in Kelsey Croft and Anna LaBarbera. Columbus State has produced eight shutouts this season and have not given up more than two goals in a match. CSU has also held opponents to single digit shots in nine matches.
 
Saturday's match is set for 2 p.m. ET at the Walden Soccer Complex. The match will be streamed on the PBC Sports Network and Live Stats will be available as well. CSU will honor four Hall of Fame inductees prior to kick off with homecoming court happening at halftime and senior day post-match.
 
For tickets, CSU fans will have two options for purchase. Fans can either purchase tickets ahead of time online through HomeTown Ticketing prior to the match or bring exact cash at the gate on the day of the match. No credit or debit purchases will be allowed at the gate. Tickets can be purchased here: https://csucougars.com/tickets.