EVANS, Ga. – Christine Rolfes banged home a penalty kick in the 20th-minute and the fourth-seeded UNC Pembroke defense shutout No. 10 Columbus State for the first time this season to power the Braves to their first Peach Belt Conference (PBC) title in program history and guarantee the Black & Gold a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history on Sunday afternoon in Evans.

MATCH INFORMATION
Score: UNC Pembroke 1, No. 10 Columbus State 0
Records: UNC Pembroke (15-4-1); No. 10 Columbus State (15-3-0)
Location: Blanchard Woods Park
Series: Columbus State leads 17-4-1

HOW IT HAPPENED
Box Score/Play-by-Play

FIRST HALF
-The second-seeded Cougars unleashed the game's first four shots, but two were blocked by UNCP defenders and a pair sailed over the crossbar.
-UNCP's first chance arose in the 20th-minute when Carly Rochelle struck a ball from 24 yards out and clanged it off the crossbar.
-Rochelle's rebound banked directly to Alexis Pittman in the box, but the freshman was tripped by a Cougar defender, which led head referee Kevin Roberts to award a penalty kick to the Braves.
-For the first time in her career, the junior Rolfes stepped up to attempt a penalty kick and beat the Columbus State keeper in the lower right to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. The Cougar netminder got both her paws on the shot, but it banked in off the right post and into the back of the net.
-Columbus State racked up five more shots in the first stanza, but just one of the five (43rd-minute) forced UNCP keeper Gina Ryan to make a save.

SECOND HALF
-The Cougar offense uncorked 16 shots in the second half, including seven on goal, but Gina Ryan was up to the task on each of them to preserve the clean sheet.
-Half of Columbus State's second-half shots came in the final 15 minutes of action, but the Cougars were unable to solve the resilient UNCP back line.

NOTABLES
-The Braves become the PBC team since Kennesaw State in 2003 to pitch a shutout in all three league tournament games and the first to ever win a trio of 1-0 games en route to a championship.
-UNCP picks up its first postseason win over Columbus State in school history. The Cougars had won the previous seven postseason meetings before Sunday.
-Sunday marked the Braves' second appearance in the PBC title bout in program history, with the other coming in 2008.
-The shutout gives the Braves 14 this season, which ties the 2008 and 2010 squads for the most in school history.
-Gina Ryan's clean sheet was her 11th of the season and she becomes just the second UNCP keeper in program history with at least 11 shutouts.
-The Cougars held a 25-4 advantage in shots.
-Ryan registered three shutouts in the PBC Tournament to grab MVP honors. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Shannon O'Neill, Alexis Pittman and Jasmine Senécal-Guzman.

UP NEXT
The Braves will make their third NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2010 in the Southeast Regional which starts on Nov. 10. UNCP will learn its first-round opponent during the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Selection Show on Monday evening at 6 p.m. The show can be streamed live at ncaa.com.