ST. LOUIS – Despite playing from behind for most of Saturday's matchup with the fifth-ranked Columbia Cougars, the Missouri Baptist Spartans Women's Soccer team remained within striking distance early in the second half. But a late flurry of goals from the visitors resulted in a 4-0 loss for the Spartans.
 
Columbia was the more aggressive side throughout, out shooting MBU 16-3, with eight of those attempts being on goal. For their part the Spartans had three shots in the game, with all of them coming in the second half.
 
The Cougars got a single goal in the first half, with the tally coming in the 19^th minute. While MBU gave up some other dangerous chances in the first 45 minutes, they went to the locker room at half down only 1-0.
 
Columbia would extend the advantage to 2-0 just over five minutes into the second half. It would stay that way until the Cougars added two more goals in the final nine minutes of the contest.
 
The loss drops the Spartans record to 2-8 overall and 1-1 in the American Midwest Conference. The win is the seventh of the season for CC, with their only loss coming at the hands of NCAA Division I opponent Southeast Missouri State University.
 
MBU will be back on the pitch this Wednesday to face Bellevue University, which is a team that is currently receiving votes in the latest NAIA Women's Soccer Poll. Start time for the game is 5 p.m. at Spartan Field.