ATLANTA – Four different members of the Georgia State men's soccer team found the back of the net as the Panthers cruised past Howard 4-0 on Halloween in Washington, D.C.

“It was good to go on the road and get a big win after a tough week of travel,” head coach Brett Surrency said. “The guys dug deep to find some energy and we were able to get the job done tonight. We started a little slow but we woke up quickly. Once we snapped into the game we were able to control things and dictate the majority of the match.” 

• GSU improves to 7-9-0 overall and 2-2-0 in the Sun Belt.
• Four goals tied the most scored by the Panthers this season.
• Georgia State tied a season high with 21 total shots.
• The Panthers also set a season high with 11 shots on target over 90 minutes.

CJ Cochran was forced to make a save in the first minute of the match on a header by Frederick Todd III. Georgia State had its first chance in the 6th minute but Eddie Wilding's effort was high.

Cochran then had to make a second save in the 9th minute on McKinley Smith's header. Smith had another opportunity for Howard in the 12th minute but his attempt was high. Bo Stroup responded with a shot for GSU in the 20th minute but it was off target.

The Panthers finally broke through in the 21st minute when Amiri Abraham scored his second goal of the season. The sophomore forward fired a shot past Bison goalkeeper Jordan Austin from 25 yards out. GSU had two more chances in the 27th and 29th minutes but both were off target.

In the 31st minute, Stephen McGill scored his team-high four goal of 2014 to doubled Georgia State's advantage.

• A long through ball was played to Aaron Jones inside the 18-yard box.
• The sophomore defender drew the Howard goalkeeper off his line.
• Then, Jones passed the ball across the 18-yard box to McGill who scored into the open net.

The Bison had two more chances in the in the first half but one was high and one was wide. McGill had another opportunity for the Panthers in the 45th minute but his shot off target.

• The Panthers held a 7-5 shot advantage in the first half and each team took one corner kick.

Georgia State started the second half fast when McGill forced Austin to make a save after less than one minute. GSU then had two more chances in quick succession in the 50th minute but Austin made both saves.

The Panthers finally increased their lead to three in the 53rd minute after Jake Bingham scored his first career goal.

• Bo Stroup passed the ball into a dangerous area from the top-right corner of the penalty box.
• Bingham was there waiting to slot the ball past Austin and into the back of the net.

Austin made three more saves over the next eight minutes to keep it a 3-0 lead for Georgia State. Ali Elkhalil finally bagged the Panthers' fourth goal in the 77th minute when he fired a shot into the net from the top of the 18-yard box.

GSU could have scored a fifth but Austin denied Jones in the 79th minute, and then Jad Elkhalil fired two shots off target in the 81st minute. Howard's Todd III had the final shot of the match in the 87th minute but it was wide as Georgia State secured the comfortable 4-0 victory.

• Cochran finished with two saves en route to his seventh win and fourth shutout of the season.
• The Panthers return to the field on Saturday, Nov. 8 to host in-state rival Georgia Southern in the regular-season finale.
• GSU will honor six seniors for their commitment and dedication to the program prior to the 7 p.m. kickoff.

“Georgia Southern is always a huge game because of the rivalry, but the implications in terms of the conference standings will make it even more so,” Surrency said. “We are looking forward to coming home and hope to get a good result to close out the regular season.”