ATLANTA – An 81st-minute goal by Ashley Nagy lifted the Georgia State women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over first-place Western Kentucky in the regular season finale. The Panthers improve to 6-9-1 and 4-4 in conference play.
“The whole team played fantastic,” head coach Derek Leader said after the match. “We started slow in the first 10 minutes. Give credit to Western Kentucky, they are a very talented team, but I am so proud of our team. We showed that the sky is the limit and anything can happen in the Sun Belt Conference. Out team proved that tonight.”
Western Kentucky went on the attack first with a trio of shots in the 12th minute but all three were blocked. In the 28th minute, Western Kentucky's Caitlin Hesse fired a shot on goal but GSU goalkeeper Brie Haynes was there to make the save.
Neither team created another scoring chance during the first 45 minutes and the half ended 0-0. WKU held the edge in shots (4-1) and took more corner kicks (2-0).
Four minutes into the second half, Haynes was forced to make her second save on a shot by Western Kentucky's Torrie Lange. In the 55th minute, Georgia State went on the attack but Margaret Bruemmer's shot was high.
The Hilltoppers threatened in the 56th minute but Andrea Curry's shot was wide. In the 63rd minute, Haynes recorded another save on a shot by Sydney Sisler. GSU earned a pair of corner kicks in the 67th minute and Lyndsey Gaffney forced WKU keeper Nora Abolins to make her first save a minute later.
Georgia State grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 81st minute when Ashley Nagy scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season. Whitney Ravan crossed the ball to Nagy who slotted it into the back of the net from close range.
In the final nine minutes Haynes made a pair of saves, including one in the final thirty seconds, to secure the 1-0 win for GSU.
Georgia State's Brie Haynes earned the shutout win to improve to 6-9-1 this season. She recorded five saves on 13 shots faced. Western Kentucky's Nora Abolins gets the loss and she finished with one save on four shots.
“We struggled early this season to score goals. However, Nagy is on fire right now but the goal was created by the excellent work ethic of Ravan. Overall, the goalkeeper play has been excellent and I am so pleased with the backline. The midfield has been great and entire front line is on fire.”
NOTEBOOK - GSU will return to the field on Wed., Nov. 6 for the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship in San Marcos, Texas. League newcomer Texas State serves as the host school..
The Panthers will not know their first round opponent until after the final conference matches on Sunday, Oct. 27. GSU will finish fourth, fifth, or sixth in the final regular-season standings, depending on final results of other matches this weekend.
Georgia State finished strong, winning three of its final four matches, and the only loss was in an overtime battle. This was the Panthers' fourth road win of the season.
GSU has proven its will to fight to the finish, scoring 12 of its 19 goals in second halves or overtimes.
In the Sun Belt Tournament opening day on Nov. 6, there are four matches. Seed 1 and 8 play at 10 a.m., followed by the 4-5 seeds at 1 p.m. Seeds 2 and 7 square off at 4 p.m. and then the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds do battle in the 7 p.m. finale.
Due to Louisiana-Lafayette's loss at South Alabama Thursday, WKU still clinched the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title and No.1 seed in the SBC Tournament with a 6-2 mark in league play.
For Nagy, the goal in Friday's win was her seventh goal in the eight Sun Belt matches played this season by GSU.
