Boiling Springs, N.C. - Sophomore Alejandro Reyes scored a game-winning goal in overtime to give the  Georgia State men's soccer team a 2-1 win over Gardner-Webb on Wednesday afternoon.  

The golden goal from Reyes occurred just over one minute into the overtime period after sophomore Gimel Gordon had a shot on goal that Bulldogs' keeper Adam Garcia made an initial save. Reyes found the rebound, beat the initial defender and scored past the keeper to set off the celebration for the Panthers.

"We challenged Reyes to make an impact each time he stepped on the field and I would say he easily did that today," said first year head coach Brett Surrency. "Gimel made a great initial run and Reyes did a good job of following up and winning the game for us."

Georgia State struck first in 69th minute of the game, when Reyes made a nice touch pass to Gordon, who placed a shot just above the keeper to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

The Runnin' Bulldogs found the equalizer in the 77th minute, when senior Romeo Kabanda made a pass to freshman midfielder Nicolas Wrobel, who fired a shot to the lower left post for the first collegiate goal of his career to even the score at 1-1.

The first half was back-and-forth between the two teams with only eight combined shots on goal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Vincent Foermer kept the Panthers in the game making two critical saves in the first half.

Gardner-Webb had the best chance of the half, when Bulldogs' midfielder John Sargent fired a shot that Foermer made a stop at the left post in the 40th minute. 

"I am happy that we were able to get the win despite not playing our best soccer.  The team once again showed a lot of heart and resiliency and it was a great way to start off the new season," said Surrency.

Georgia State finished the game with nine shots, including six on goal for the victory.

Georgia State returns to the pitch for its home opener on Saturday against USC Upstate at 7 p.m. in Panthersville.

-www.GeorgiaStateSports.com-