The PBC Women's Soccer Tournament got off to a hot start this afternoon with 16 goals across four quarterfinals matchups. The top four seeds advance to the semifinals as #1 Columbus State host #4 GCSU and #2 North Georgia host #3 Flagler on Wednesday.
#1 Columbus State 2-1 #8 USC Beaufort
Late Goals Lift No. 5 Cougars Past USC Beaufort 2-1, Advance to PBC Semifinals
COLUMBUS, Ga. | Kendal Coreil and
Elle Henschel scored less than seven minutes apart late in the second half as the No. 5 Columbus State University Women's Soccer team rallied past USC Beaufort 2-1 in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at Walden Soccer Complex.
The victory moves the top-seeded Cougars to 13-3-2 overall and sends Columbus State into the PBC semifinals against fourth-seeded Georgia College & State University.
Columbus State controlled the attacking pressure throughout the opening half, outshooting the Sand Sharks 10-3 and putting five attempts on goal, but the match remained scoreless at halftime.
The Cougars continued to push after the break, generating 12 more shots and eight second-half corner kicks.
USC Beaufort struck first against the run of play in the 69th minute. Kassi Martin set up Eva Craney-Barnie, who found the back of the net at 68:58 to give the Sand Sharks a 1-0 advantage.
With their season on the line, the Cougars responded.
Payton Conti set up Coreil at 81:16, and the midfielder delivered her sixth goal of the season to pull Columbus State even at 1-1.
CSU needed just over six more minutes to complete the comeback. Raegen Varvarigosprovided the assist as Henschel found the back of the net at 87:39, giving the Cougars a 2-1 advantage with just over two minutes remaining.
Columbus State held off USC Beaufort over the closing minutes to secure the comeback victory and advance to the PBC semifinals.
The Cougars finished with a commanding 22-5 advantage in shots and a 9-3 edge in shots on goal. Columbus State also earned 11 corner kicks compared to two for USC Beaufort.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
UP NEXT:
Your Cougars advance to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 4, when top-seeded Columbus State hosts No. 4 seed Georgia College & State University at Walden Soccer Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
#2 North Georgia 6-0 #7 USCA
Nighthawks defeat Pacers 6-0 in Peach Belt Conference Quarterfinals
North Georgia (12-3-3) scored five second-half goals to defeat USCA (5-11-2) 6-0 in the Peach Belt Conference women's soccer tournament quarterfinals Saturday, Oct. 31, at the UNG Soccer Complex in Dahlonega, Georgia. Six different players scored for North Georgia.
USCA goalkeeper Savannah Yerger kept the match scoreless at 18:28 by saving Blanca Cruz's shot toward the bottom left. Angelina Noorbehesht broke through at 25:11 with a seventh goal of the season, giving North Georgia a 1-0 halftime lead. North Georgia outshot USC Aiken 8-2 before the break, with Yerger making three first-half saves.
North Georgia pulled away with three goals in the opening 6:21 of the second half. Chloe Diaz made it 2-0 at 47:10 with a fourth goal of the season. Nina Lopez followed at 49:05, finishing off a Cruz assist for an 11th goal of the season. Cruz then scored at 51:21 to extend the advantage to 4-0, bringing the season total to six goals.
Hailey Blanott added a first goal of the season at 78:33 with an assist from Emma Moreau. Sam Cottle also scored a first goal of the season, finishing a Diaz assist at 89:52 with eight seconds remaining. Diaz and Cruz each finished with a goal and an assist, and Cruz put all three shots on target.
Kayleigh Marreel played the first 70:48 in goal for North Georgia without needing a save. Dayanara Figueroa handled the final 19:12 and made two stops to complete the combined shutout. Figueroa saved Emma Gause's effort at 82:53, USC Aiken's first shot on goal, then denied Samantha Koneval at 86:17.
USCA generated four of its six shots after halftime, while Yerger finished with seven saves across 90 minutes. North Georgia held an 18-6 advantage in total shots, put 13 attempts on goal to USC Aiken's two and finished with a 6-2 edge in corner kicks.
The Nighthawks are back in action on Wednesday evening as they host #3 seed Flagler in the PBC Tournament Semifinals with kickoff set for 5 pm.
#3 Flagler 3-1 #6 Lander
Freshmen Duo Leads Saints into PBC Tournament Semifinals
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The Flagler College women's soccer team (7-5-5 overall, 5-2-2 PBC) opened postseason play Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over Lander (7-4-5 overall, 2-3-4 PBC) in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The third-seeded Saints received a pair of second-half goals from freshmen
Netanya Brown and
Eleanora Close to secure their spot in the semifinals.
SCORING SUMMARY
7' – Flagler –
Ella Gembicki (Penalty Kick)
32' – Lander – Angele Hills (Unassisted)
73' – Flagler –
Netanya Brown (Assist:
Eleanora Close)
79' – Flagler –
Eleanora Close (Assist:
Netanya Brown)
TURNING POINT
Flagler struck first by capitalizing on an early penalty kick.
Irina Barron-Gomez sent a long ball behind the Bearcats' backline, where senior
Anastasia Whitehouse won the race to the ball before being fouled by the Lander goalkeeper inside the box. Junior
Ella Gembicki stepped up and converted the penalty to give the Saints a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute.
Lander answered in the 32nd minute when Angele Hills received a pass near midfield, advanced toward goal, and fired a shot into the left corner to even the score at 1-1 heading into halftime.
The Saints regained the lead in the 73rd minute behind a connection between freshmen
Eleanora Close and
Netanya Brown. Close drove down the right side of the box before sending a cross toward the front of goal, where Brown redirected it with a header past the goalkeeper and into the left side of the net.
The duo struck again just six minutes later, this time reversing roles. Brown collected a pass near midfield, turned toward goal, and threaded a through ball behind the Bearcats' defense. Close used her speed to get behind the backline and beat the goalkeeper one-on-one to extend the Saints' lead to 3-1.
Flagler's defense held firm over the final 11 minutes to preserve the victory and punch its ticket to the PBC Tournament semifinals.
KEY STATS & NOTES
- First Team All-PBC selection Ella Gembicki scored her fourth goal of the season and led the Saints with three shots in 90 minutes.
- Netanya Brown made the most of her 21 minutes off the bench, recording her third goal of the season and adding an assist.
- Eleanora Close also contributed three points off the bench, recording her first career goal and assist.
- Haley Stafford, Avery Raimondo, and Ava Scott each added a shot.
- Six Saints played all 90 minutes, including Brooke Rienecker, Presley Ancheta, Avery Raimondo, Ella Gembicki, Keali Foster, and Irina Barron-Gomez.
- Freshman goalkeeper Irina Barron-Gomez made her 17th start of the season and recorded three saves while allowing one goal.
- Lander held a 16-8 advantage in shots, while both teams put five attempts on target.
- Flagler recorded seven corner kicks, tying for its second-highest single-game total this season.
- The victory marks Flagler's eighth consecutive appearance in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals.
UP NEXT
Flagler travels to face second-seeded North Georgia on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the PBC Tournament semifinals. Kickoff time is still to be determined. Live video coverage will be available on a pay-per-view basis for $10. Tickets will be available through Hometown Ticketing and can be purchased
here once they become available.
#4 GCSU 3-0 #5 Clayton State
Bobcats shut out Lakers 3-0 in Peach Belt Quarterfinals
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Georgia College & State University used three first-half goals to shut out Clayton State University 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Peach Belt Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Saturday (Oct. 31) afternoon at the Bobcat Soccer Field.
The fourth-seeded Bobcats improved to 8-5-4, while the No. 5 seed Lakers ended their campaign at 7-6-4. GCSU will now face top seed and No. 5 nationally Columbus State University Wednesday (Nov. 4) in a 7 p.m. semifinal match in Columbus, Georgia. The Cougars had to score twice in the final 10 minutes to pull out a 2-1 decision over the University of South Carolina-Beaufort in their quarterfinal contest.
GCSU wasted little time getting ahead 1-0 as the Bobcats got a score from
Alayna Cobb at the 7:18 mark.
Mia Palumbo raced down the right sideline and sent the ball into Cobb at the far post before she buried the ball into the right corner of the net for her third score of 2026.
The Bobcats doubled their lead nine minutes later as
Mackenzly Cheely registered her sixth goal of the year as she knocked in the rebound of
Kat Wilber's initial shot that Clayton State goalkeeper Rubie Kelley saved, but couldn't corral the loose ball.
Rachel Zetina scored her third goal in as many matches with less than two minutes remaining in the opening 45 minutes to open up a 3-0 lead for GCSU. Zetina beat the Laker goalkeeper to her right after she came off her line.
GCSU goalkeeper
Kassidy Fortin tallied two saves as she registered her sixth shutout of 2026 and the seventh overall for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats held a 7-6 margin on shots, including a 5-2 edge on goal. GCSU also doubled up the Lakers on corner kicks 6-3.