COLUMBUS – The Columbus State University Women’s Soccer team dropped a hard-fought 2–1 decision to Lander University on Saturday afternoon at the Walden Soccer Complex in Peach Belt Conference action.
The Bearcats struck quickly, capitalizing on early chances to grab a two-goal cushion. In the 10th minute, Kylie Wilson opened the scoring to give Lander the lead. Just six minutes later, Langley Stewart doubled the advantage, finishing off a feed from Peyton Bibbee to make it 2–0. Columbus State fought back before the break. In the 38th minute, Anna Labarbera cut the deficit in half with her first goal of the season, energizing the Lady Cougars and the home crowd.
The Lady Cougars pushed forward after halftime, outshooting Lander 5–3 in the final 45 minutes and earning three corners. Despite multiple looks, CSU couldn’t find the equalizer. Goalkeeper Heidi Harris made a pair of first-half saves to help keep her team within striking distance, while Lander’s keeper Isabella LaMadrid closed the door with three stops of her own…