COLUMBUS — A high-intensity contest between two of the top five teams in the Peach Belt commenced in Columbus Wednesday afternoon, and USCB hung with the Cougars of Columbus State, but the Sand Sharks allowed two first half goals and fell 2-0 at the Walden Soccer Complex. 

"A resilient performance where we showed we can compete against one of the best teams in the country," head coach Jay Harris said. "Although we came up short, there are a lot of positives we will use moving forward."

A tight defensive battle ensued during the first 25 minutes as both teams only mustered one shot apiece on the keepers. Emily Worrell came up big with a save early in the contest and Page produced a great opportunity through the middle but was denied by the Cougars goalkeeper. 

It was in the 27th minute when CSU scored the first goal of the game. Emma Beddow sent a shot to the lower right of the goal, just past Worrell's outstretched hand. Two minutes later, Faith Knoedler found the back of the net with a header off a corner kick to make it 2-0.

Both defenses were on display during the second half. The Cougars controlled much of the period, outshooting USCB 14-3, but Worrell collected four of her seven saves and kept CSU off the scoreboard. 

The Sand Sharks aim to pick up their second road win of the year, facing off with Talladega for a 3 p.m. kickoff tomorrow.

"We have a quick turnaround with a game tomorrow, so recovery is key and hopefully we can get the win".