COLUMBUS, Ga. - The second-seeded Flagler College women's soccer team upset first-seeded Columbus State University, 1-0, in the Peach Belt Conference Championship with a late second-half goal by Andrea Fernandez. The Saints earned their fourth straight PBC title with the victory.
 
"Today is a fabulous day in our program's history," head coach Ashley Martin said. "To win the title four years in a row is a special achievement, and the players fully deserve it. It was an epic battle in which both teams had their chances, but when needed, Andrea came up big again with a great penalty, under an enormous amount of pressure."
 
Both teams came out hot, shooting a combined 20 shots in the first half, but neither team was able to get a point on the board. The Saints (13-3-2) had eight shots, taking three on goal, while the Cougars (16-2-1) had 12 shots, but only two shots were on goal in the first 45 minutes. 
 
In the 58th minute, Columbus State's leading scorer, Emma Beddow, had the opportunity to score on a penalty kick but she shot wide marking her first missed penalty kick of the season.
 
Flagler had the same opportunity to score with a penalty kick late in the second half. Andrea Fernandez took the shot, launching the ball into the top right corner of the net for the game-winning goal in the 81st minute. Fernandez tallied her 19th goal of the season to help the Saints to their fourth-straight conference tournament title. 
 
Columbus State had a 28-15 advantage in shots and a 12-1 advantage in corner kicks. Both teams had eight shots on goal. Goalkeeper Madison North had an incredible game in the net making eight crucial saves in the victory to earn her sixth shutout of the season. 
 
"Our team worked incredibly hard to defend, and Madison made some top saves when called upon," added Martin. "We shall look forward to seeing who we face in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, but until then, we will enjoy another PBC Championship!"

Fernandez earned Most Valuable Player All-Tournament nods while North, Brin Wexler and Sara Carr earned spots on the Peach Belt All-Tournament Team. 
 
The Saints now look ahead to the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship. Flagler was ranked fourth in the final NCAA Regional Rankings released Wednesday. The tournament field will be comprised of 56 teams and the Southeast Region will have eight teams playing at two different sites. The bracket will be announced Monday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m.

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