PBC YEARBOOK
Columbus State stretched its winning streak to 19 games by
scoring three goals on Bridgeport (21-2-1), which had allowed just
eight up to this point in the season.
Person, a native of Decatur, Georgia, sent a corner kick in front
of the box and after a short scrum, freshman Olivia Jarrell was able to
finish it off and put the Cougars up 1-0 in the 21st minute.
Jarrell, who is playing in her home state this weekend, leads the
Cougars with 17 goals on the season. The score by the Peach Beach
Conference Freshman of the Year tied the CSU freshman record for
goals in a season set in 2007.
Person continued to pick apart the stout Bridgeport defense,
offering up a perfect cross in front of the far post to Atalia Ramirez,
who was able to put it past the Purple Knights’ goalkeeper Jennifer
Wendelius to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead.
With two assists in the contest, Person added to her team-leading total of 16.
“We’re a group that
you never know where
things are going to come
from,” said Columbus State
head coach Jay Entlich.
“We’ve had about 10 or
11 kids score goals for us
throughout the season. We’re
not relying on one player.”
Lady Cougars Fall in
National Championship
PENSACOLA, Fla. - The best
season in program history
came to a close on Saturday
as the third-ranked Columbus State University women’s
soccer team fell 2-0 to topranked Grand Valley State in
the national championship
match. The game was played at the Brosnaham Soccer Complex in
Pensacola, Fla.
The historic season for the Lady Cougars wraps up with a 22-3-1
record, a new top mark for wins in a season for the program. Columbus State captured the Peach Belt Conference regular season and
tournament titles along the way, in addition to the Southeast Region
championship and becoming the program’s first team to reach the
final four.
“Give all the credit to Grand Valley State,” said head coach Jay
Entlich. “They have a great team and they were more efficient than us
today.
“This was a special year for our girls and today takes nothing
2015-16
away from that. I’m so proud of everything they accomplished.”
Columbus State played the majority of the first half inside its attacking
half, getting the offense moving early.
Shelby Rolling slid a shot wide of the mark in the game’s fifth
minute to start the Lady Cougar attack. CSU would get a pair of corner
kicks shortly after, but each one came up empty.
Mandy Janowitz took a rip at the net in the 12th minute, however
Grand Valley State goalkeeper Emily Maresh was in the right place for
the big save.
Less than two minutes later, a Columbus State foul gave the
Lakers a free kick from just outside the box. Reigning National Player of
the Year Marti Corby cashed in the free kick, hammering a shot into the
top of the net for her 25th goal of the season.
The Columbus State offense continued its strong attack getting
three shots off in a five-minute stretch, however all three were off the
mark.
The Lady Cougars
picked up three more shots
over the final 15 minutes of
the first half, with Cassandra
Wade missing just wide with
a header and Janowitz forcing
another strong effort from
Maresh.
Grand Valley State
(23-1-1) found some cushion
with just over one minute left
in the first half as Katie Bounds
was able to get behind the CSU
backline and found the back of
the net for her sixth goal of the
year.
The goal would be the
last action of the first half and
gave the Lakers a 2-0 advantage at the break. Despite the
score, Columbus State outshot GVSU 8-2 over the first 45 minutes.
Following halftime, Grand Valley State began to gain more possession and took aim at the Lady Cougar net. The Lakers took eight shots
in the second half to just four for CSU and held a 6-1 edge in corner
kicks.
Maylyn Parsons and the Columbus State defense kept the Lakers
off the board over the final 45 minutes, but couldn’t find the net on the
other end.
The Lady Cougars finished the match with a 12-10 edge in shots,
marking the first time this season the Lakers had been outshot.
Redshirt-senior Chelsea Person, junior Nicole Corcione a