Peach Belt 20 in 20 - Game #16 - Women's Soccer: Columbus St. vs. Armstrong Atlantic St., Oct. 29, 2006

Columbus State and Armstrong Atlantic State began their women’s soccer programs a year apart and in short order rocketed to the top of the PBC standings. When they met in the 2006 PBC Tournament championship game, each seeking their first title, they cemented themselves in the conference annals with the first and, to date, only women’s soccer final to be decided in a penalty kick shootout.

In 2005, in only their second year of existence, the CSU women’s team was the #1 seed and host of the women’s tournament but fell to Clayton State in overtime 2-1 in the championship game. Armstrong Atlantic State was the third seed in their inaugural season and made it to the tournament semifinals.

CSU's Gina Goforth (11) and AASU's Jessica Chipple (14) battle in the 2006 PBC final.  Goforth was named the tournament MVP.

Jay Entlich founded the Columbus State program in 2004 and has coached every game the Lady Cougars have played. “We’ve had some wonderful games with AASU, our girls have so much respect for that team,” he said. “That season they were actually ranked ahead of us in the region poll due to their strength of schedule, so there was a lot on the line.”

When the two met in the 2006 regular season, Columbus State came away with a hard-fought 2-1 win in Savannah, getting the game-winning goal with less than eight minutes to play. A rivalry was developing at that point, but would be raised to a new level in the 06 tournament final.

Columbus State reached the final after a 1-0 win over GCSU and 4-0 semifinal shutout of USC Upstate in the semis. Armstrong Atlantic State had also not allowed a goal, beating both UNC Pembroke and Clayton State 1-0.

For 110 minutes the two teams fought, both scoring first-half goals. Armstrong Atlantic State got on the board first as Jamie Craine fired a shot inside the left post for a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute. Columbus State answered back as Krystin Mills, the lone senior on the Lady Cougar team, scored in the 38th minute as she took a feed from Gina Goforth which had caromed off a defender and hammered it off the lower body of Pirate keeper Tarra Kohler and into the left side of the net to make it 1-1.

CSU took command of the pace of play in the second half and quickly erased the 12-6 deficit in shots, peppering Kohler and the AASU defense with shots. The Lady Cougars had several opportunities to score, even having three shots hit the post. CSU posted 10 shots in the second half and Kohler came up with two more saves to preserve the tie. CSU keeper Monica Sanchez was also equal to the task, collecting two saves in regulation and two more in the first overtime.

CSU got off three shots in overtime, one of which hit the post off the foot of Goforth, while AASU took a pair of shots. Each team had a shot in the second extra frame.

AASU won the toss and kicked first in the shootout.

“Penalties are so deceiving,” said Lindsay Morgan, a sophomore on the 2006 team and now an assistant coach at Columbus State. “They look so easy, but when you get up to that spot, the goal looks so big and so small at the same time.”

CSU coach Jay Entlich inserted freshman Kelly Nimmo in goal for the shootout and she was beaten on the first shot by Shana Neves.

“I made the decision to put in our backup goalkeeper, for the first time in my career,” said Entlich. “She was a freshman, but she was really good at stopping PKs, I also, for the first time, chose not to pick the kickers, I let the kids pick. I had never done that before. Sometimes its not who I think will do well, but the players know who will make the kicks.

“But there were several people in the stands who second-guessed who the goalkeeper was and who was taking the kicks.”

“I wasn’t surprised that coach put it on us,” said Morgan. “Its always smart to throw somebody in there who wants it. He asked us ‘who wants one’ and I raised my hand.”

Kellie Myles then tied the score with the first CSU shot. Craine was next up for AASU and Nimmo came up big for CSU, stuffing the shot with a diving save. Morgan then gave CSU a 2-1 advantage with her kick.

“Penalties have always been my thing,” recalls Morgan. “But when I was standing there waiting for my turn all I could think that I had missed a PK earlier in the year. But when I stepped up to take the kick, I didn’t think anything except ‘you better put it away,’ I calmed myself down and it worked.”

Jessica Chipple's shot then struck the crossbar for AASU, and CSU was able to take a 3-1 advantage as Goforth made her shot for the Lady Cougars. Ashley Elam pulled the Pirates to within one as she converted her shot, but Sarah Hawkins ended it with a low shot past Kohler into the right side of the net for the win.

The 2006 tournament championship would be the first of three straight for Columbus State, a string broken in 2009 when Armstrong Atlantic State won their first. CSU made it to the second round in the 2006 NCAA Tournament and to the national quarterfinals in 2007.

“This game was the one that told us we could do it,” said Morgan. “It gave us a lot of confidence. Now we know how to win a championship game and how to play back-to-back. From that moment, our success did build. The years from that point weren’t baby steps, we made huge leaps in our success.”

“This game kind of set the tone for us,” said Entlich. “When I got interviewed for the position in 03, I explained I had a two-year plan. I made some pretty bold statements that we would be successful by year two. After year one we learned who the competition was and year two we won the regular season. By year three we were just beginning our journey and that was a great ending.”

Click here for an index of the 20 Greatest PBC Games.