The Peach Belt Conference Women's Soccer Tournament began with an electrifying opening round with nine goals and four shutouts across four games. The top three seeds advanced to Wednesday's semi finals, as #5 Flagler posted the lone upset of the first round as they advanced with a 1-0 victory over #4 GCSU.
#1 North Georgia 3-0 #8 Clayton State
NO. 8 NIGHTHAWKS CRUISE PAST CLAYTON STATE, ADVANCE IN PBC TOURNAMENT
DAHLONEGA - The No. 8 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's soccer team opened its postseason run in convincing fashion Saturday afternoon, defeating Clayton State 3-0 in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals at the UNG Soccer Field at Lynn Cottrell Park.
After a scoreless opening half, the top-seeded Nighthawks (16-1-1) broke through in the 55th minute when
Nina Lopez netted her ninth goal of the season off a setup from
Malia Burkes. North Georgia continued to control possession and add pressure, outshooting the eighth-seeded Lakers 27-0 on the afternoon. UNG doubled its lead in the 76th minute as
Blanca Cruz buried a pass from
Sam Cottle, then returned the favor five minutes later when Cottle finished off a feed from Cruz to cap the scoring in the 81st minute. Goalkeeper
Isabelle Lee recorded the shutout without facing a shot on goal, marking the team's 10th clean sheet of the season. The Nighthawk defense kept Clayton State from registering a single attempt.
North Georgia advances to the Peach Belt semifinals on Wednesday where they will host fifth-seeded Flagler. Flagler advanced with a 1-0 win over fourth-seeded GCSU. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
#2 Lander 1-0 #7 USC Beaufort
LANDER TOPS USC BEAUFORT 1-0, ADVANCES TO PBC SEMIFINALS
GREENWOOD – With fans packed in the stands and the sun shining down on
Van Taylor Stadium Saturday afternoon, the Lander women's soccer team put together a complete performance en route to a 1-0 win over USC Beaufort in the PBC quarterfinals.
The win marks the fourth semifinal appearance in the last five years for Lander. The Blue and Gold outshot the seventh-seeded Sand Sharks 16-3 and put seven shots on net during the match.
Lucy Bova scored her second goal of the season to begin the second half after a scoreless first.
Claire Regnault sent a cross to her fellow senior who was wide open in front of the net and Bova headed it past an outstretched keeper in the 50th minute. Though it turned out to be the final goal of the match,
Maddie Leber almost scored twice in the 53rd and 55th minutes. Leber tried going to the top-left corner of the net on her first chance but it was saved brilliantly by the USCB netminder. She soon after corralled
Gabby Redman's cross and set up a left-footed shot that was again narrowly punched over the crossbar. The Bearcats had seven corner-kicks and
Leah Hayes Coen produced her sixth solo clean sheet this year.
The No. 2 seed Bearcats will face the No. 3 seed Columbus State Cougars on Wednesday, Nov. 12 in the semifinal round after their 4-0 shutout of USCA this afternoon. Kick-off for Wednesday's game is at 5 p.m. from
Van Taylor Stadium. Lander topped Columbus State 2-1 on the road on Oct. 11.
#3 Columbus State 4-0 #6 USCA
COUGARS ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS WITH 4-0 SHUTOUT OVER USCA
COLUMBUS – The Columbus State University Women's Soccer team opened postseason play in dominant fashion, blanking USCA 4–0 in the quarterfinal round of the 2025 Peach Belt Conference Tournament Saturday afternoon at the Walden Soccer Complex. With the win, the Cougars (12-5-1) advance to next week's semifinal round, while the Pacers close their season at (7-7-3) overall.
Columbus State wasted no time showing control, generating early pressure with shots and corner kicks before breaking through in the 12th minute.
Payton Conti opened the scoring with her seventh goal of the season, capitalizing on sustained pressure to give the Cougars a 1–0 lead. The Cougars carried that advantage into halftime, outshooting USCA 13–1 in the first half. The second half saw the Cougars' offense hit full stride.
Mia Robinson doubled the lead in the 58th minute with her eighth goal of the year.
Zallie Aristodemo added a third in the 84th minute before assisting
Trinity Zeigler's strike just two minutes later to cap off the 4–0 rout. Aristodemo finished with a goal and an assist in just 21 minutes of action. Goalkeeper
Heidi Harris notched her ninth shutout of the season, making three saves in a composed 90-minute performance. The Cougar back line delivered another outstanding performance, holding the Pacers to just four total shots and three on frame.
Columbus State advances to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals on Wednesday, November 12, at 5:00 p.m. ET, where the Cougars will face #2 seeded Lander.
#4 GCSU 0-1 #5 Flagler
SAINTS ADVANCE AS BROOKE RIENECKER SCORES THE MATCH'S LONE GOAL
MILLEDGEVILLE–
Brooke Rienecker's goal in the 16
th minute helped No. 5 seed Flagler College edge No. 4 Georgia College & State University 1-0 in a Peach Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinal Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Field.
The Saints are 7-4-1 all-time in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament and have won the last six in a row. Georgia College's season comes to an end with a 7-7-4 record.
Haley Stafford's corner kick helped lead to Rienecker's goal. Stafford's corner kick came from the left corner and her kick came in towards the far post. The ball worked its way through several GCSU players before Rienecker was able to corral the ball and score.
Phoebe Carpenter recorded her fifth shutout of the season, and fourth in a row. She finished with four saves. Ella Hayes also recorded four saves for the Bobcats. Each team took 12 shots. Four Flagler players had two shots apiece while Sarah Mason and Lillie Sheffield each had three shots for GCSU. The Bobcats held a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks and Georgia College committed 12 fouls while Flagler had 11.
Flagler improved to 10-6-3 overall and advanced to the semifinal round where it will face top-seed and No. 8 (United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25) ranked University of North Georgia at Dahlonega on Wednesday at 5 p.m.