Statesboro, Ga. (Aug. 16, 2008) The Georgia State men's soccer team dropped their first exhibition match of the season, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon as they took on the Georgia Southern Eagles in Statesboro, Ga.

The Panthers started off strong and jumped out to a 1-0 lead with Linus Warendh scoring in the 15th minute of play with an assist by senior midfielder Joe DeVito. Warendh proved to be an aggressive player, totaling four shots on goal for the day.

Senior goalkeeper Filipe Carvalho also had a solid performance, making five great saves for the afternoon. Senior midfielder Eduardo Liza proved to be a powerful player for the afternoon as he recorded two shots on goal. "The seniors stepped up their game today, especially Eduardo and Linus. Linus showed great composure on the field when he scored his goal," remarked Coach Kerem Daser.

The exhibition was also an opportunity for the Panthers to see the strengths of the newcomers. The Panthers started freshmen Ayokunle Lumpkin and Christopher Peacos, as well as transfer Joey Syfert. Syfert finished the day with two shots, one of them on the goal. Lumpkin also had a busy day, totaling two shots on goal in the 2nd period.

"I'm very happy with the way that the guys played today. Georgia Southern played very well and it was a good test for us as a team. This was an opportunity for us to give the majority of our players some time on the field. I'm happy with the team's overall fitness, but we do need to work on and sharpen up our defense. We have a tough week of practice and we are excited to take on the of the top teams in the southeast region next weekend," commented Daser.

The Panthers look ahead to their next exhibition match on Saturday, August 23 at 8 p.m. as they travel to Birmingham, Alabama to take on the Blazers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.