EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Three first-half goals by the Purple Aces proved too much as the Georgia State men's soccer team fell to Evansville 3-1 Saturday night in Indiana. The Panthers drop to 0-5 this season, while the Purple Aces improve to 3-2-1.
GSU opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Jamal Keene scored his second goal of the season to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. William Mellors-Blair found Keene in the middle of the box with a cross from the left. Then, Keene was able to head the ball past Evansville goalkeeper Eric Teppen.
The Purple Aces tied the score 1-1 in the 18th minute. Mark Gonzalez found the back of the net from just inside the 18 yard box after a failed clearance attempt by a Georgia State defender.
Three minutes later, Evansville grabbed the lead when Gonzalez scored his second goal of the game. Charlie Macias sent a cross into the box from the left side and Ganzalez was able to slot it past GSU goalie CJ Cochran from two yards out.
The Purple Aces doubled their lead just before the end of the first half. Faik Hajderovic played the ball from midfield to Felipe Cortez on the right. Then, Cortez found Dylan Terry in the box. Perry turned and fired a shot past Cochran to give Evansville a 3-1 lead.
At the break, GSU held the edge in corner kicks (3-1) but the Purple Aces had taken twice as many shots as the Panthers (10-5).
Georgia State went on the attack early in the second half, forcing Teppen to make two saves on shots by Mellors-Blair and Stephen McGill. The Panthers continued to push forward forcing Teppen to make three more saves in a 10-minute span.
First in the 70th minute, Keene fired a shot on goal but Teppen made the save to keep the score 3-1 in favor of Evansville. Then three minutes later, Teppen was able to push Aaron Jones' attempt wide for a GSU corner. In the 79th minute, Cory Plasker's attempt was on target but Teppen was there for his fifth save of the half.
Teppen and his defenders held on for the final 10 minutes, and Evansville got the 3-1 win. In the second half, the Panther took more shots (10-6) and corners (5-2) but it was not enough to overcome the Purple Aces' three first half goals.
GSU's Cochran, who finished with three saves on 16 shots, gets the loss. Evansville's Teppen earned the win as he recorded five saves on 15 shots faced.
Georgia State will travel over 2,000 miles to face Seattle and Washington Friday, Sept. 20, and Sunday, Sept. 22, in the Panthers next two match-ups.
