Georgia State Men's Soccer: Two Second-Half Goals Down Panthers Tuesday Night
ATLANTA – In the Panthers’ final match before their Sun Belt Conference opener, the Georgia State men’s soccer team was defeated by Belmont 2-0 Tuesday night at the GSU Soccer Complex.
The Panthers went on the attack first in the 8th minute when Bo Stroup forced Bruin goalkeeper Grayson Rector to saved his long-rang effort. Belmont responded with a chance of its own in the 12th minute but CJ Cochran made the save.
Over the next nine minutes both teams attempted two shots but none were on target. Georgia State had the next quality scoring chance in the 40th minute. Andy Anglade cut inside from the left flank and fired a low shot but Rector was there for the save.
Belmont had one final chance in the final minute of the first half but Joonas Bask’s header was too high.
At the break the Bruins held a 5-4 shot advantage and each team earned three corners.
Luke Oesterle replaced CJ Cochran in goal for GSU in the second half.
Over a six-minute stretch early in the second half, Belmont attempted four shots, including three on target.
First Luca Schioppa’s shot was wide right in the 54th minute. Then Rashad Hyacenth forced Oesterle to make his first save of the match in the 55th minute.
In the 59th minute Joao Fonseca fired a shot from long range over Oesterle’s head but the Panther keeper made a great leaping save to push the ball over the crossbar.
However, on the resulting corner kick, Nat Hubert whipped the ball towards the near post and Sam Black found the back of the net with a powerful header to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
Belmont maintained this pressure over the next three minutes and was able to double its lead in the 62nd minute. Fonseca fired a shot on target that Oesterle saved but the rebound fell to Diego Figueroa, who tapped it into the open net from six yards out for a 2-0 lead.
Over the final 28 minutes the Panthers pressed hard in search of a goal but could find the back of the net.
The match ended 2-0 in favor of the Bruins, who outshot GSU 8-1 in the second half and 13-5 over 90 minutes.
Now the Panther prepare for their first Sun Belt match on Saturday, Oct. 11. Georgia State will face NJIT at 5 p.m. in Newark, N.J.
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Eagles Drop 5-2 Result at Stetson
Men’s Soccer returns home to face Hartwick on Sunday at 2 p.m.
DELAND, FLA. – Georgia Southern Men’s Soccer dropped its third-consecutive defeat on Tuesday evening with a 5-2 loss at Stetson to close a four-game road swing. After suffering two consecutive shutouts, the Eagles got goals from Eric Dinka and Thor Svienbjornsson on the night and open league play on Sunday afternoon against Hartwick at 2 p.m.
“We just have to be tougher. We’re lacking some fight right now,” said Head Coach Kevin Kennedy. “We’re going to put these last three matches behind us and shift all our focus to Sunday’s conference opener against Hartwick.”
Stetson went 2-0 up in the first 21 minutes on goals from Marco Hjorth and JJ Bostic. The first goal was the earlier conceded by the Eagles this season, while the second came off a deflection in the danger area.
Georgia Southern responded at the half hour mark with a chance from the penalty spot. Ethan LaPan struck the spot kick which was saved by the Stetson goalkeeper. The loose ball found its way to Dinka who finished the second-chance opportunity for his second goal of the season at the half hour mark.
After the line stayed at 2-1 through the halftime break, Stetson answered with two goals early in the second half. Jared Huber put the Hatters up 3-1 on 57 minutes when he got on the end of a Lucas Diniz flick. Stetson’s fourth goal came in the 68th minute when Bostic scored his second goal of the night on a ball crossed into the box.
Thor clawed a goal back in the 82nd minute with his first collegiate goal. The freshman headed a Emmanuel Raji cross into the net for the Icelander’s first goal on this side of the Atlantic.
The Hatters added another goal in the 85th minute as Diniz made a run through the midfield to score Stetson’s fifth of the night.
Next up for Georgia Southern is their Sun Belt opener on Sunday afternoon against Hartwick. The first home Sun Belt game starts at 2 p.m. and can be seen live on GS All-Access. Admission is free to the game at Eagle Field.
Georgia Southern hosts the 2014 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Tournament on November 13-16 at Eagle Field in Statesboro. The winner of the league’s tournament championship earns a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets call 1-800-GSU-WINS.
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