Liz Fogarty
Bree Hicken
0
Georgia St. GSU (9-9-2 (5-4-1 SBC))
1
Winner South Alabama USA (15-3-2 (8-1-1 SBC))
Georgia St. GSU
(9-9-2 (5-4-1 SBC))
0
Final
1
South Alabama USA
(15-3-2 (8-1-1 SBC))
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Georgia St. GSU 0 0 0
South Alabama USA 1 0 1

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

Panthers Fall to South Alabama in SBC Tournament Semifinals

GSU records 8+ wins in back-to-back seasons for first time since 2007-08

FOLEY, Ala. – A penalty kick in the 24th minute proved to be the difference in the second semifinal of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, as top-seed South Alabama defeated Georgia State 1-0 Friday night at the Foley Sports Complex to advance to Sunday's championship.

The loss snapped GSU's five-match win streak, giving the Panthers their first loss in nearly a month. Georgia State concluded the 2019 season with a 9-9-2 overall record.  

The opening portion of Friday's semifinal presented a back-and-forth battle for early momentum, which South Alabama found after a GSU foul in the box led to a successful penalty kick from the Jaguars' Brenna McPartlan.

While the Panthers were held to just four shots in the first half, the team was able to make the most of its possessions in its attacking-third, garnering four corner kicks and a later got a great look at goal from Lily Barron in the closing minutes. South Alabama keeper Justice Stanford made a great diving stop to keep the score at 1-0 at the break.

GSU struggled to produce many threatening scoring opportunities in the second half, as USA controlled possession for most the match's final 45 minutes. The Jaguars tallied 14-second half attempts while Georgia State was held without a shot.  

Redshirt-sophomore keeper Kendra Clarke and the Georgia State back line did all it could to keep the Panthers in the game, as Clarke ended the night with a career high 10 saves. GSU made one final push in the 82nd minute after drawing a corner kick but was unable to capitalize.

Despite the loss, the 2019 season was another step forward for the Georgia State program. The Panthers finished 5-4-1 in conference play for a share of fourth place in the league standings – just the third time since 2000 that Georgia State had finished fourth or better in the conference standings. Head coach Ed Joyce has also led GSU to eight or more wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2007-08.

For complete coverage of Georgia State women's soccer, follow along with the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

2019 Women's Soccer Championship Schedule
Wednesday, November 6 (First Round)
Match 1 - #3 Arkansas State 0, #6 Texas State 0 (ASU advances on PKs, 4-1)
Match 2 - #7 Louisiana 3, #2 Troy 0
Match 3 - #1 South Alabama 2, #8 Georgia Southern 0
Match 4 - #5 Georgia State 1, #4 Coastal Carolina 0
Friday, November 8 (Semifinals)
Match 5 - #3 Arkansas State 1, #7 Louisiana 0
Match 6 - #1 South Alabama 1, #5 Georgia State 0
Sunday, November 10 (Championship Match)
Match 7 - 2 p.m. ET – #3 Arkansas State vs. #1 South Alabama
 
All matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
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