2018 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer News and Notes:
Standings | Composite Schedule | Stats | Championship Information
AROUND #SUNBELTMSOC
• The 2018 regular season for Sun Belt men’s soccer comes down to three matches this week, headlined by two pivotal conference matchups.
• Georgia State (9-4-2, 2-0-2) enters the week atop the standings with eight points with hopes of hanging on to the top spot and the No. 1 seed for next week’s Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Championship. The Panthers defeated two-time defending conference champion Coastal Carolina on Oct. 28 for the first time since 1981 and finished conference play undefeated for the first time since 1989 as a member of the former Trans America Athletic Conference.
• With seven points, Georgia Southern (6-5-3, 2-0-1) goes into its final match with Coastal Carolina with a chance to grab the regular-season title and the No. 1 tournament seed with a win. The Eagles have never finished unbeaten in conference play, dating back to 1989.
• Appalachian State (7-3-3, 1-1-1 Sun Belt), with its four points, needs a win in its regular-season finale over Howard to secure a berth to the semifinals. The Mountaineers have only suffered one loss in six matches (3-1-2) at home this season.
• With three points, Coastal Carolina (8-5, 1-2) needs a win to avoid playing in the first round of the conference tournament for the first time. The Chanticleers moved up to 35th in the latest NCAA RPI updated through matches of Oct. 28. Coastal Carolina (eighth), Georgia State (ninth) and Georgia Southern (10th) rounded out the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Southeast Region poll this week.
• Howard (2-8-3, 0-3) seeks its first Sun Belt win since a 2-0 triumph over Georgia Southern on Oct. 29, 2016. Senior forward Victor Guirma has hit the back of the net for five goals this season after scoring only one a year ago.
• Coastal Carolina senior forward Yazeed Matthews has scored goals in six-straight matches. He has nine goals over that stretch and knocked in two goals in each of the Chanticleers’ last three matches, all on the road – Oct. 20 at Howard, Oct. 24 at UNC Wilmington and Oct. 28 at Georgia State. Mathews ranks sixth in the nation in goals per game (0.92), two spots behind Georgia Southern senior midfielder/forward Javier Carbonell in fourth (0.93).
• Georgia State junior defender Kyle Clinton is
one of 31 student-athletes on the 2018 MAC Hermann Trophy Men's Watch List.
• The 2018 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Championship is set for Nov. 7-11 at Eagle Field/Erk Park in Statesboro, Ga., hosted by Georgia Southern.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Max Hemmings, Georgia State (Sr., MF, Wokingham, England)
Georgia State senior midfielder Max Hemmings scored two goals and added an assist in the Panthers’ 4-3 Senior Day victory over the defending Sun Belt champion Coastal Carolina. Hemmings' five points were the most in a conference match this season. He ranks tied for third in the Sun Belt with three assists and tied for eighth with three goals.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Gonzalo Talavera, Georgia Southern (So., D, Madrid, Spain)
Georgia Southern sophomore defender Gonzalo Talavera anchored a back line that limited Appalachian State to just five shots and delivered the game-winning goal with just six seconds remaining in a 1-0 shutout win over the Mountaineers. For his efforts, he was named to the National Team of the Week by
College Soccer News.
2018 Weekly Award Winners
Offensive Player
August 28: Camden Holbrook, Appalachian State
September 4: Javier Carbonell, Georgia Southern
September 11: Lukas Joyner, Georgia State
September 18: Javier Carbonell, Georgia Southern
September 25: Reed Hunnicutt, Appalachian State
October 2: Zeiko Harris, Appalachian State
October 9: Javier Carbonell, Georgia Southern
October 16: Alex Hernandez, Appalachian State
October 23: Yazeed Matthews, Coastal Carolina
October 30: Max Hemmings, Georgia State
Defensive Player
August 28: Jake Chasteen, Appalachian State
September 4: Chris Datallo, Coastal Carolina
September 11: Paul Tyson, Georgia State
September 18: George Proctor, Georgia State
September 25: Alex Summerfield, Georgia State
October 2: Carlos Caro, Howard
October 9: Paul Tyson, Georgia State
October 16: Matteo Turner, Howard
October 23: Kervin Fadel, Coastal Carolina
October 30: Gonzalo Talavera, Georgia Southern
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday, November 2
*Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina, 6:00 p.m.
Georgia State at UAB, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 3
*Howard at Appalachian State, 6:00 p.m.
*Sun Belt Conference contest
All Times Central and Subject to Change