INDIANAPOLIS, IND – Three Peach Belt Conference women's soccer teams learned their seasons will continue on Monday night as the NCAA released the field for the national championship tournament. Columbus State is the #1 seed in the southeast region while Flagler and North Georgia were also selected.
The Cougars will be making the program's 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and the first since 2018.
Columbus State earned the region's first seed after going 18-2-1 and claiming the Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship. CSU will take on the eighth-seeded University of Mount Olive in the first round on Friday at 6 p.m. UMO received an at-large bid into the tournament after falling to UNC Pembroke in the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship match on Sunday.
Fourth-seeded and No. 18 Flagler College and fifth-seeded UNC Pembroke will also be in Columbus this weekend. The two sides will play in the opening round at 3 p.m. on Friday, with the winner advancing into the second round on Sunday.
In the other half of the Southeast Region, second-seeded and No. 10 Catawba College will be the hosts and take on seventh-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne University on Friday. In the 3-6 matchup, third-seeded Queens University will play sixth-seeded University of North Georgia.
Flagler dances its way into its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the first since 2019. The Saints have won nine straight matches and are grooving right now behind PBC Player and Freshman of the Year Andrea Fernandez (15 goals, 12 assists) and company.
In Flagler's third straight PBC Tournament championship Sunday, five different players scored to pace the Saints to the highest scoring PBC championship game since 2009.
This will be the 13th time UNC Pembroke (15-4-0) and Flagler (15-2-1) have met and the first time since the PBC Tournament a season ago. The Saints defeated the Braves 2-1 in the duo's final matchup as league teams, while Flagler owns the overall record (7-4-2) and has defeated UNCP four straight times. This will be the first neutral site matchup between the two former PBC rivals.
North Georgia heads into the postseason for the seventh time in the NCAA era and the second consecutive season that the tournament has been contested. UNG is 10-5-1 after a loss in the Peach Belt Conference semifinals last weekend.
The Nighthawks will battle third seeded Queens in the opening round. The Royals come into the tournament after falling to Catawba, 1-0, in the SAC finals. Second seeded Catawba will host the Royals and Nighthawks as well as seventh seeded Lenoir-Rhyne.
NCAA Southeast Region (Columbus Bracket)
Friday, Nov. 19 - First Round
Match 1 - 3 PM: #5-seed UNC Pembroke vs. #4-seed Flagler
Match 2 - 6 PM: #1-seed Columbus State vs. #8 Mount Olive
Sunday, Nov. 21 - Second Round
Match 3 - 1 PM: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
NCAA Southeast Region (Catawba Bracket)
Friday, November 19 – First Round
3:00 pm – #3 Queens vs. #6 North Georgia
6:00 pm – #2 Catawba vs. #7 Lenoir-Rhyne
Sunday, November 21 – Second Round
2:00 pm – Friday winners