Atlanta, Ga. (October 15, 2008) Despite a strong offensive showing, the Georgia State men's soccer team fell 1-0 to the 2007 CAA Champions, the Old Dominion Monarchs on Wednesday afternoon.
Despite an even 9-9 in total shots, the Panthers allowed a late goal in the 75th minute and struggled to match the score in the last minutes of play. The Monarch forward Steffen Rabben managed to net a goal off an assist from teammate Dylan Montambo.
“We played a very good ODU team today. The Monarchs are a tough team who have consistently been in the NCAA Tournament for the past few years. It's obvious that they are a very disciplined and organized team who are the first to shut us out this season,” commented Georgia State coach Kerem Daser.
Midfielder Joe DeVito led the Panthers offense with five shots, three on goal.
Georgia State opened the contest by being very aggressive on goal, outshooting the Monarchs 6-5. But Old Dominion fought back in the second period to outshoot the Panthers 4-3.
“Three of our key starters were unable to play today and I'm very proud of the guys who came off of the bench. They all played very well. Christopher Peacos is a freshman starter and he has the talent to become a very good player for us. Joe DeVito also had a good game; he had many chances to score for us in the second half. The free kick by Linus was also a good effort,” said Daser, referencing the free kick by Linus Warendh that smacked off the right post and was headed away by a Monarch defender.
Senior goalkeeper Filipe Carvalho finished with four saves while midfielders Joey Syfert, Warendh, and Ayokunle Lumpkin and defender Tobias Nagy each tallied one shot.
“I'm very proud of our effort today and it was hard to lose by one goal. It takes something special to score in the CAA, and Old Dominion found a way to win. We just need to hang in there and keep battling away. There are still many games left,” finished Daser.
With the loss, the Panthers drop to 5-4-2, 0-3-1 CAA on the season and Old Dominion improves to 6-4-2, 3-1-1.
The Panthers hit the pitch again this weekend as they travel to James Madison on Saturday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Check GeorgiaStateSports.com for scores and the game recap immediately following the contest.
