The Georgia State women's soccer team suffered a bitter defeat at the hands of in-state rival Mercer 2-0 on Sunday. The loss drops Georgia State to 7-2-0 on the year as they begin conference play next weekend.
Despite the return to the lineup of Kay Harbrueger and Kara Vezza, the Panthers could not mount an offensive attack against the stiff defense of Mercer.
“These games are the toughest for all of us,” said Georgia State head coach Domenic Martelli. “They played hard today and did what they had to do to win. The credit goes to them, but we still have to play better than we did today.”
The Panthers were completely stymied through the first half, failing to register a shot on goal. Ali Meek scored early for the Mercer Bears on a pass from Lizzy Shaughnessy in the ninth minute.
Georgia State immediately began to press the issue, but could not string together enough passes to create a scoring chance. On several occasions, the Panthers held the ball inside the box, only to have a pass tipped away before a shot could be delivered.
Coming out of the half, Georgia State looked to have more of a spark, scrambling after loose balls. The Panthers began to find sophomore Apryl Goodwin and senior Kay Harbrueger up the sidelines, but Mercer did a fantastic job closing off any gaps in the defense.
Mercer's Lauren Johnson slammed the door on the Panthers with some fancy footwork and a goal in the 84th minute. Mercer outshot the Panthers 12-3 for the game.
Playing in the stead of injured goalkeeper Heidi Blankenship, Kellianne Collins played a solid game despite what the score indicates. Collins registered 10 saves on the day, and played the entire 90 minutes.
The brightest spot of the game for the Panthers came in the second half. Trailing 1-0, Mercer attacked off of a corner kick. Collins stepped up to deflect the first shot, but Mercer regained possession.
The Bears had an opportunity to rip a shot from inside the box on an empty net, but senior Kristen McKillop was in the right place to head it away. McKillop suffered an apparent leg injury halfway through the second half and did not return to action.
After this final non-conference match, the Panthers now look toward the beginning of conference play. Georgia State will travel to Virginia to face the Old Dominion monarchs at 7 p.m., Friday. The Panthers will return home on Sunday for a 1 p.m. match against William & Mary.
