COLUMBUS – No. 17-ranked Columbus State University women's soccer hits the road for the first time this season with a tough matchup against (RV) Embry-Riddle (Fla.) in Daytona Beach, Florida on Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Cougars (3-0-0) travel to the Sunshine State to take on the Eagles (2-1-0) at Noon ET at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium.
Columbus State is riding a three-match win streak to open the 2024 campaign and look to continue the positive form into Saturday's match. Embry Riddle opened with a 3-2 loss at then No. 13-ranked Catawba (N.C.) and rebounded with wins over Chowan (N.C.) and Valdosta State (Ga.).
CSU holds a narrow 3-2 record over ERAU. The Lady Cougars battled the Eagles in last season's opener back on Sept. 2, 2023, slipping to the No. 10-ranked visitors in a 2-0 defeat at the Walden Soccer Complex.
Last season, the Eagles produced a 14-2-3 record, wrapping the season in the NCAA Division II South Regional. ERAU was selected as the favorites in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll ahead of the 2024 season. The Eagles were also selected preseason No. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll before slipping to the receiving votes section in the latest poll.
Wilma Bergman, Grace Foyer, and Ida Zetterberg are the team's leading point producers through three matches played. Both Bergman and Foyer have bagged two goals each while Zetterberg has tallied a goal and a pair of assists. Foyer returns from last season where she was the Eagles' third-best point producer, scoring six goals and recording an assist.
As for the Lady Cougars, they have notched three-straight shutouts to begin the season. The Lady Cougar defense has held strong so far this season, allowing just 16 total shots with only four landing on target.
Heidi Harris has notched three saves with
Roxy Mathews recording one.
CSU has outscored opponents 13-0 across 270 minutes of action, averaging 19.3 shots per contest. Columbus State holds a 58-16 shot differential and has produced a 51.7% (30-of-58) shot on goal percentage.
A total of seven student-athletes have found the back of the net while four student-athletes have scored two goals each.
Emma Beddow leads the way with two goals and three assists for a total of seven points. Vannessa Aviles and
Sarah Hungerford both have two goals and an assist to their names for five points while
Abigail Akerson has netted a pair of goals for four points.
Kickoff in Daytona Beach is set for Noon ET on Saturday.
Live stats and
live video are available to follow along.
