ATLANTA – For the first time since joining the Colonial
Athletic Association in 2005, the Georgia State women's soccer team opened its
conference schedule with a victory. With goals from senior Apryl Goodwin and junior
Bri Cagle, the Panthers shut out the Drexel Dragons (4-5, 0-1), 2-0, under the
lights Friday evening at Panthersville. The win improves Georgia State to 7-2-1
on the season and an undefeated 1-0 in the CAA.
Both points for Georgia
State came off free kick opportunities resulting from Drexel fouls. The first
score of the match is credited to Goodwin, her second of the season, with
junior Lani Huntley recording the assist. Cagle's goal represented her first of
the 2010-11 season and only her second as a Panther. Goalkeepers Heidi
Blankenship and Kellianne Collins evenly split time in goal and held Drexel
scoreless, combining for a total of six saves.
“It's a great
feeling to win a CAA conference game and it's even a better feeling to win the
first one,” said head coach Domenic Martelli. “It is great to come out and play
two solid halves and get two good goals in the first half. I have to give
credit to Drexel. They had some nice chances here and there and I think we also
could have had put more goals away if their keeper had not made some amazing
plays. This was a great game. It was the best game we have played all year. I
believe everything we have learned thus far this season is coming together.”
The Panthers first
struck in the 28th minute when a Drexel foul resulted in a free kick
for Georgia State just outside the 18 yard box. Huntley fired the free kick on the
ground and the ball broke through the feet of the Drexel defenders that had
lined up in front on Huntley to attempt to stop her kick. Goodwin got a strong
foot on the ball and it landed in the back of the net to put the Panthers ahead
1-0.
Georgia State tallied
again in the first half just over eight minutes later when it was awarded
another free kick off a Drexel foul. Cagle lined up to take the free kick 25
yards out and sent the ball booming in front of the goal. As the Dragons were
attempting to clear Cagle's shot, the ball was deflected off a Drexel defender
past goalkeeper Nicole Sinclair and into the goal to put State up by two.
Drexel took three
shots in the remaining minutes of the first half but were unable to score and
the first half came to an end with the Panthers leading 2-0.
Twelve minutes into
the second half, the Dragons had an opportunity to get on the board. Drexel's
Rachel Sheridan got a head on a ball kicked from the corner, but it was just
high over the cross bar and the Dragons remained scoreless.
In the final minutes
of play, the Dragons had one more scoring chance with a powerful header by
Drexel's Jess Sarkisian but the ball could not get past the hands of Collins. The
Panther defense had a strong performance throughout the second half, denying 11
total shots by Drexel to keep the shut out and capture the win in the
conference opener, 2-0.
“We are pushing
forward and giving ourselves a good chance to prepare for Sunday's game against
Delaware,” said Martelli. “I think Drexel brings a whole new level of energy
and aggressiveness that we haven't seen in our nine non-conference games. We
still have 10 more of these type match-ups ahead of us with some great teams. Now
it is all about completing the conference weekend and playing a really great
game on Sunday to get the result against a very talented, very dangerous
Delaware team.”
The Georgia State
women's soccer team will look to remain undefeated in the CAA on Sunday, Sept.
26 as they test their talents against Delaware at 1 p.m. in Panthersville.
