ATLANTA – The Georgia State women's soccer team
registered its second win of the season as Sarah Bennett's game-winning goal in
double overtime lifted the Panthers to a 1-0 victory over Mercer Sunday
afternoon in the home opener at Panthersville.
With the win,
Georgia State moved to 2-0 on the season, while Mercer fell to 1-1-1.
Bennett's goal came
at the 105:03 mark and is her second on the season after she scored a goal in
last week's 3-2 victory over Jacksonville State. Goalkeepers Heidi Blankenship
and Kellianne Collins split their time in goal combining for eight saves with
Collins credited for the win and the shutout.
“We started this
game with one word in mind, 'influence',” said head coach Domenic Martelli. “I
wanted to know what each player could do to influence the game as an
individual. In the end, I feel that each and every player did a great job in
putting their footprint on the game. I can single out every player in what they
did to contribute to the win today. They each did what they do well to keep us
in the game and keep dominating in certain parts to get us the goal in the
end.”
Despite the 0-0 on
the scoreboard for the entirety of regulation, both teams created scoring
opportunities yet were unable to capitalize on them. In the seventh minute,
Mercer forward Emily Milone was robbed of a powerful shot with a great save by
Blankenship. Georgia State's junior defender Lani Huntley answered with a shot
from near midfield but Mercer goalkeeper Cristina Guilarte got her hands on the
ball to deny Huntley of the score.
“Looking at both
games we have played thus far, the biggest thing we are lacking is missing
those important goal opportunities,” said Martelli. “We are getting through
their defense and missing two or three legitimate scoring opportunities early
in the game. That is one thing we really need to work on; capitalizing on our shots
in order to get those points on the board.”
Before the close of
the first half, Blankenship denied two more scoring opportunities for Mercer by
blocking two shots from forward Lauren Johnson. Freshman Jewel Evans attempted
to get a point on the scoreboard for the Panthers before halftime with a strong
shot on goal but her shot was saved by Guilarte to take the teams into halftime
with a scoreless first half.
The second half saw
more scoring opportunities with Georgia State and Mercer taking two and four
unanswered shots on goal, respectively. Both teams fought hard to notch a goal
and capture the win in the final minutes of regulation, yet when the clock
ticked down to zero goose eggs remained on the scoreboard.
The first overtime
saw little action with Mercer registering only one shot throughout the 10
minutes of play. At the start of second overtime, Mercer tried to end it with a
shot on goal by midfielder Kaelyn Horton but the game remained scoreless with a
save by Collins. With less than five minutes to go, sophomore midfielder
Jocelyn Baker and freshman forward Briana Pitre contributed with a double assist to Bennett that resulted in the
game-winning goal for the Panthers.
“Mercer is an
unbelievable team,” said Martelli. “We matched up better against them today
than we have in our past two meetings. When you look at this rivalry, this is
the game that makes us understand where we are in the state of Georgia and
where we want to be in the next couple of weeks as we take on our other
in-state rivals. We have played two double overtime games after a long
preseason with not everyone on our roster being 100% healthy. This just shows
me that the team is in very good shape. We are a fit and athletic team and once
we can get everyone healthy and on the field, our team can only get better.”
The Panthers return
to action on Friday, Sept. 3 when they take on other in-state foe Georgia
Southern in Statesboro, Ga. at 4 p.m.
