Birmingham, Ala. (August 23, 2008) Junior transfer Stephan Minyono scored both goals for the Panthers as the Georgia State University men's soccer team came away with a tie in the final exhibition match of the season.
"Stephan had two great goals today, one header and one follow-up. I'm very proud of his performance," remarked Georgia State Coach Kerem Daser. Sophomore midfielder Joey Syfert is credited with the assist for the second and tying goal. Both teams battled heavy rains throughout the contest, as the remnants of Hurricane Fay came through the Birmingham area Saturday.
The Blazers started the game strong and scored two first-half goals, but the Panthers retaliated in the second half. Georgia State led the game in shots, registering five in the first half and nine in the second half, compared to the Blazers three shots in the first half and eight in the second.
Senior goalkeeper, Filipe Carvalho came away with four saves for the day. "I'm very proud of Filipe and our defenders for their work in the second half. It was great to get the second half shut-out," commented Coach Daser.
The Panthers tallied 14 shots for the day and nine shots on goal. Minyono and senior midfielder Joe DeVito led the Panthers with four shots each, four and two on goal, respectively. "I think the top player of the day was Joe DeVito. He is an outstanding wideback and played the game with great speed and composure," commented Coach Daser. Syfert finished the evening with two shots, with one on goal. Midfielders Linus Warendh, Eduardo Liza, Ayokunle Lumpkin, and defender Brett Cummins each recorded one shot a piece.
"I proud of the team and noticed that everybody stepped up today. Every one of the players played with a lot of passion, spirit and teamwork. The seniors also showed great leadership on the field, especially Carvalho, Francesco Barbera, DeVito, and Warendh. We look forward to playing Clemson next week and I feel that UAB and Clemson will help us get ready for conference play," said Coach Daser.
This marks the second and final exhibition match for the Panthers. Georgia State will begin regular season play next week on Monday, September 1st as they take on the Clemson Tigers at Clemson, S.C. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00p.m.
