EVANS — A late surge was not enough to lift the No. 17 University of North Georgia women's soccer team to their first Peach Belt Conference title, as the Nighthawks fell to sixth-ranked Columbus State, 3-2, Sunday afternoon at a soggy Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Georgia. UNG is now 15-3-1 on the season.
Columbus State (18-2-1) got the game started much the same way as they had the previous two meetings between the teams, with an early goal in the ninth minute as Shelby Rolling launched a strike from 20 yards out that snuck in just beneath the crossbar.
North Georgia quickly battled back finding the equalizer in the 12th minute as Jacy Ramey followed up on a missed shot and found the back of the net on a furious Nighthawk attack. The tie would not stand for long though as the Cougars retook the lead for good in the 29th minute as Mandy Janowitz made an impressive shot from the far left side of the box finding the upper 90th of the right post giving CSU a 2-1 advantage that they would take to intermission.
Rolling would strike again for the Cougars in the 59th minute burying a CSU corner kick that missed the head of its original target and caught the UNG defense off guard.
The Nighthawks would go on to make numerous attacks for the remainder of the half and broke through with their second goal as Madison Salters scored in the 75th on a quick attack into the box from Mollie Arrendale and Rachel VanHorn. North Georgia continued to push for another equalizer but in the end could not find a way to send the game to overtime.
