ATLANTA – In the first exhibition of the preseason, the Georgia State men's soccer team defeated Oglethorpe 4-0 behind a three-assist performance by sophomore Aaron Jones. Junior Conor Acheson, freshman Rashid Alarape, sophomore Tyler Alexander and junior Cory Plasker all found the back of the net to lift the Panthers to the victory.
“I was really impressed with the overall energy and work rate of the team tonight,” head coach Brett Surrency said after the win. “That is something we want to hang our hat on and I was so pleased with what the team brought to the game tonight in terms of energy and work rate. If that can be the foundation of this team moving forward and we improve in some other areas we are going to have a very good season.”
GSU grabbed the lead in the 28th minute when Acheson headed home Jones' cross. The Panthers doubled their lead in the 37th minute when Alarape scored his first goal in a Georgia State uniform. Jones crossed a dangerous ball into the box and Alarape's header deflected off a defender and into the net.
The Panthers held a 2-0 lead at the break with both teams making several substitutions before the start of the second half. GSU picked up right where it left off in the 54th minute when Plasker found the back of the net to extend Georgia State's lead to 3-0. Jones crossed the ball to the near post and freshman Jad Elkhalil headed it to the far post where Plasker was waiting to slot it past the Oglethorpe goalkeeper.
In the 62nd minute, Oglethorpe nearly grabbed a goal but GSU's senior goalie CJ Cochran made an excellent diving save to deny Phillip Rawson's header. Three minutes later Georgia State capped an impressive night with a fourth goal. Freshman Andrew Thompson crossed the ball from the left flank and Alexander was able to tap it in at the far post for his first goal as a Panther.
GSU dominated possession throughout, outshooting the Stormy Petrels 15-4 and taking 12 more corner kicks (13-1).
“If we have a lot of possession that means we have a lot of the ball, and if you are creating chances you have the opportunity to score,” Surrency said. “We are more dangerous going forward this year than we have been in the past couple of years. We still need to refine some things and are not a finished product but we will get there before the season opener at Mercer in two weeks.”
- 21 total Panthers played 30 minutes or more tonight as the team continues to prepare for the season opener at Mercer on Aug. 29.
- Redshirt senior Chris Locandro played the opening 45 minutes at center back. It was his first game action since November 4, 2012 after missing the entire 2013 season due to injury.
- GSU's four goals scored was the most by the Panthers since Oct. 16, 2011 in a 4-2 win over Drexel.
- Georgia State finished with five assists on four goals, including three by Aaron Jones which is the most by a Panther in the last 10 years.
- Georgia State will return to the field on Tuesday, Aug. 19 to host Georgia Southwestern for the team's second of three exhibitions this preseason. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the GSU Soccer Complex.
