Three PBC Women's Soccer teams took to the field today in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. #5 Lander opened the day in Salisbury, N.C. as they faced #4 Francis Marion. #3 Columbus State opened play in Dahlonega, Ga. as they faced #6 Lenoir Rhyne while #2 North Georgia closed out play in Dahlonega vs #7 Anderson. Lander took home the 1-0 victory to advance to the NCAA second round on Sunday where they'll face #1 Catawba in Salisbury. #2 North Georgia secured a 3-1 victory and will face #6 Lenoir Rhyne on Sunday in Dahlonega.
#5 LANDER 1-0 #4 FRANCIS MARION
SALISBURY, N.C. – For the second year in a row, the Lander women's soccer team earned a First Round victory in the NCAA Tournament, this one coming by a 1-0 score in regulation over No. 4 seed Francis Marion at Frock Field on the campus of Catawba College on Friday.
Senior
Claire Regnault was the one who put the Bearcats on top in the 52nd minute, and stout defensive play that featured throughout held steady the rest of the way to preserve the win and a berth in Sunday's Second Round.
Maddie Leber collected
Peyton Bibbee's pass on the right side of the pitch before finding Regnault. Regnault then played Leber's pass off the chest, turned and fired in a score. Lander was in control for the duration of the match, outshooting the Patriots 18-3 at one point before a late flurry of shots made that margin 18-10. The loss was only the third of the season for Francis Marion. Only two of the Patriot's shots were on target, including one with 70 seconds left where keeper
Leah Hayes Coen showed her prowess and made a critical stop – that was followed by another save with 45 seconds to go.
Reagan Hardy nearly scored 10 seconds into the match when she gathered Hayes Coen's kick-off and ripped a left-footed shot that hit the right post. Hardy had another near-score in the 24th minute in front of the net. This was the ninth time this season the Blue and Gold have shut out their opponent.
Lander will play No. 1 seed Catawba at Frock Field on Sunday at 3 p.m.
#2 NORTH GEORGIA 3-1 #7 ANDERSON
DAHLONEGA –
Alex Clark and
Angie Garcia each tallied a goal and an assist as the third-seeded University of North Georgia (UNG) women's soccer team used a pair of late first half strikes to power past seventh-seeded Anderson, 3-1, Friday afternoon in 2025 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship first round action at the UNG Soccer Field at Lynn Cottrell Park.
After controlling much of the opening half, the Nighthawks broke through in the 37th minute when Clark buried a shot off a service from
Grace McGill to put North Georgia in front, 1-0. Clark then helped double the lead just before halftime, slipping a pass to
Angie Garcia, who converted in the 41st minute to send North Georgia into the break with a 2-0 advantage. North Georgia continued to dictate play after intermission and added a third in the 74th minute.
Meghan O'Brien pushed the lead to 3-0 off a build-up that started with Garcia and found
Sam Cottle, who set up O'Brien across the frame for the finish. Anderson (11-6-2) pulled one back less than three minutes later on a goal from Camryn Woods, but the Trojan rally ended there. The Nighthawks outshot Anderson 27-5 and held a 7-3 edge in corner kicks, spending long stretches in the attacking half. Garcia joined Clark with three points on a goal and an assist, while McGill led all players with six shots.
Isabelle Lee made three saves in goal for North Georgia, which limited Anderson to four shots on frame. Anderson goalkeeper Aliyah Morgan finished with four saves against the Nighthawks' pressure. UNG's 18
th win on the season extends the program record for most wins in season and sends the Nighthawks to the second round (Round of 32) for the third consecutive year.
North Georgia (18-2-1) will now face sixth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3:00 p.m. The Bears advanced courtesy of a 1-0 win over third-seeded Columbus State in the event's opening match.
#3 COLUMBUS STATE 0-1 #6 LENOIR RHYNE
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Columbus State University Women's Soccer team saw its postseason run come to an end on Friday afternoon, falling 1–0 to Lenoir-Rhyne in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional at the UNG Soccer Complex.
It was a classic postseason grind from start to finish. Lenoir-Rhyne struck first and ultimately for the only time, sneaking in the match's lone goal in the 20th minute on a finish from Ava Hartman. From there, the Cougars spent the rest of the day battling to find the equalizer. Columbus State put real pressure on the Bears' back line throughout the match, out-shooting Lenoir-Rhyne 11 to 6 and forcing goalkeeper Riley Miller into six saves.
Payton Conti,
Michelle Medina,
Mia Robinson, and
Sarah Hungerford all put efforts on frame, but the equalizer never quite materialized.
Heidi Harris kept the Cougars in it with a composed 90-minute performance in goal, including a strong early save to keep the match tight. Columbus State also generated seven corner kicks and created late momentum with several dangerous looks inside the final 10 minutes, but the Bears managed to hold on and punch their ticket to the next round.
With the result, Columbus State wraps up its season at 14 wins, 6 losses, and 1 draw, closing another successful campaign highlighted by a Peach Belt Tournament Championship and an eight-match win streak heading into NCAA play.