INDIANAPOLIS, IND -- Three Peach Belt women's soccer teams will continue their 2022 seasons as the NCAA released the bracket for the national championship tournament on Monday evening. Columbus State is the #1 seed in the southeast region while Flagler and North Georgia also advanced to regional play.
The Cougars will host the opening two rounds of the NCAA Championship this weekend at the Walden Soccer Complex.
CSU is right where they were a year ago hosting the opening weekend of soccer in the NCAA tournament as the top seed. The Cougars will be making their 15th NCAA appearance in the programs history.
Columbus State enters the Southeast region after a record of 16-2-1 and being the PBC regular-season champions. The Cougars will take on their bitter rival, North Georgia (14-4-3), on Friday at 3 p.m. The revenge-seeking Nighthawks fell to the Cougars 4-0 on CSU's last game of the regular season. Fourth-seeded Limestone and fifth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne will be competing in Columbus as well this weekend. Both teams will square off at noon on Friday, with the winner advancing to the second round which will be on noon on Sunday.
Flagler was selected as the third seed and will travel to Salisbury, North Carolina to play sixth-seeded University of North Carolina Pembroke in the first round hosted by Catawba University Friday, Nov. 11 at 3 p.m.
Flagler (13-3-2) earned its fourth straight Peach Belt Championship title after defeating Columbus State University, 1-0, Saturday afternoon earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Andrea Fernandez, the Tournament Most Valuable Player, scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in the 81st minute. This marks the Saints' fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
North Georgia heads into the postseason for the eighth time in the NCAA era, and it is the third consecutive time the Nighthawks have been participants in the tournament. North Georgia compiled a record of 10-4-3 this season, finishing third in the Peach Belt Conference standings and making a run to the conference tournament's semifinals.
2022 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament
Hosted by Columbus State
Friday, Nov. 11 - First Round
Match 1 - 12:00PM: #4 Limestone vs. #5 Lenoir-Rhyne
Match 2 - 3:00PM: #1 Columbus State vs. #8 North Georgia
Sunday, Nov. 13 - Second Round
Match 3 - 12:00PM: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Hosted by Catawba
Friday, Nov. 11 - First Round
Match 1 - 3:00PM: #3 Flagler vs. #6 UNC Pembroke
Match 2 - 6:00PM: #2 Catawba vs. #7 Wingate
Sunday, Nov. 13 - Second Round
Match 3 - 3:00PM: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner