Related: Women's Soccer Opens League Play, Shuts Out Clayton State

PEMBROKE – For the first time since 2011 and just the third instance in the twelve-year series history, the UNC Pembroke women's soccer team got the best of No. 9 Columbus State Saturday afternoon at Lumbee River EMC Stadium in a Peach Belt Conference (PBC) showdown.

The upset-minded Braves (4-2-0, 2-0-0 PBC) run their winning streak to four, the best active streak in the conference. Meanwhile, the Cougars (5-2-0, 2-1-0 PBC) drop their first league game of the year and first since 2013, a span of 27-consecutive PBC contests.

UNCP's game winner came just 6:21 into the game when Amber Watkins's shot bounced off the keeper and was corralled by Stacey Scott, who deposited it in the back of the net for her first goal of the season. It was Watkins' first assist of the 2016 campaign.

Despite being outshot 22-6, the Black & Gold defense stood tall in front of freshman goalkeeper Gina Ryan. The Cape Carteret native saved eight shots, a season high, in her fourth-straight shutout in net. Ryan runs her shutout streak to 379 minutes and has surrendered just one goal in 495 minutes of play this season. Her 0.18 goals against average and .962 save percentage are both tops in the league.

Columbus State's best shot at knotting the game a one came in the 64 minute when Atalia Ramirez fired from point-blank range, forcing Ryan to leave her feet to make the stop. In the 57th minute, defender Haley Stewart was the last line of UNCP defense on a Cougar shot and was forced to clear a ball just before it crossed the goal line.

Scott fired four of the six UNCP shots, including three of the four on goal. Kate Weisner and Armani Boswell each attempted a shot, Weisner's on goal.

The Braves will look to ride this momentum into a Wednesday contest at Georgia College. The Bobcats (3-2-1, 1-2-0 PBC) fell 2-1 to Clayton State Saturday. Georgia College got the best of UNCP in a pair of 2-1 tilts last season, the latter in the conference quarterfinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday at Bobcat Field in Milledgeville, Georgia.