Bree Hicken

Men's Soccer 10/23/2020 12:00:00 PM

Men's Soccer Set to Face Central Arkansas Saturday

ATLANTA – Looking to close the road portion of the schedule and continue to build on one of the best starts in program history, the Georgia State men's soccer team will travel to Conway, Ark., to face Central Arkansas at the Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex on Saturday at 2 p.m.

It will mark the first of two matches for Georgia State (7-1, 2-1 Sun Belt) facing Central Arkansas (1-4, 1-2 Sun Belt) in the next two weeks. The Bears will come to Atlanta to close out the regular season on Nov. 6.

The Panthers have now matched the school record for the most wins (7) in the first eight matches of the year, tying a mark that dates back to 1975. It comes just a year after Georgia State went 6-0-3 to start the 2019 season.

Senior Aris Briggs continues to lead the NCAA in goals (5) and points (13), while the Panthers are doing the same as a team while outscoring their opponents 20-4. Georgia State has racked up 55 points in the first eight matches of the season.

MATCH NOTES

Georgia State concludes a stretch of four-straight road matches making the trip to Conway, Ark., to face Central Arkansas in a Sun Belt Conference match-up.
This will mark the first of two matches with the Bears over the next two weeks.
Georgia State and Central Arkansas are tied 2-2 in the all-time series with the Bears leading 1-0 in Conway.
The Panthers split a pair of matches with the Bears last season. Central Arkansas won in Atlanta 2-0 on Nov. 2, 2019, but Georgia State responded with a 1-0 win in Boone, N.C., on Nov. 15, in the Sun Belt Conference Championship.

THE LATEST

Georgia State has won two-straight matches following a 3-0 win over Georgia Southern last Friday night. The Panthers have outscored their opponents 7-1 during that two-match stretch.
Georgia State's seven wins in the first eight matches ties for the most wins in the first eight matches in program history. The last time the Panthers accomplished the feat was in 1975.
Georgia State has allowed just two goals in the last 562 minutes of action.
In GSU's first eight matches, nine different players have scored goals. Aris Briggs has five goals, while Matthew Fearnley has four goals. Andrew Bennett, Jeryn Hodge, Justin Guest, and Logan Luque have each scored twice, while Simon Carlson, Ross Finnie, and Max Wilkins have each scored once.
Of a possible 10 Sun Belt Conference weekly awards, GSU has won seven after Andrew Bennett took home SBC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Wednesday.
Georgia State was named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week on Sept. 21, following the Panthers 2-1 season opening win over Mercer.
GSU has gotten off to great starts in back-to-back seasons. Last season the Panthers started 6-0-3 before sustaining their first loss. This year the squad is 7-1 to start the season.

QUICK HITS

Entering Thursday, Georgia State leads the nation with 20 goals and 55 total points.
Senior forward Aris Briggs leads the NCAA with 13 points and five goals. Matthew Fearnley leads the nation with a pair of game-winning goals while standing second with four goals and nine total points.
Last year Aris Briggs finished with 16 goals and one assist for 33 total points. His 16 goals ranked seventh among all players in Division I men's soccer and ranked tied for ninth in the GSU record book for goals scored in a single season. He led the Sun Belt in total points (33), points per game (1.65), goals (16), goals per game (0.80).
GSU has appeared in five-straight Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship Games, last earning the title in 2018 before appearing in the NCAA Tournament.

SUN BELT WEEKLY HONORS

GSU swept the Sun Belt weekly honors in the first three weeks of the year and brought home another honor in Week 5.
Aris Briggs and Paul Tyson earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honors on Sept. 23, following a 2-1 win over Mercer to start the season. Briggs finished with two goals, while Tyson made seven saves keeping the Bears off the scoreboard in the first half.
Matthew Fearnley and George Proctor swept the Week 2 awards. Fearnley scored the first goal of Georgia State's 3-1 win over South Carolina, while Proctor impressed on the backline that allowed just one late Gamecock goal.
Briggs and Gunther Rankenburg swept the honors in Week 3 after the Panthers earned wins over UAB and Georgia Southern. Rankenburg pitched shutouts in both matches while Briggs finished with a goal and two assists.
Freshman Andrew Bennett garnered offensive honors in Week 5 after collecting his first two career college goals and adding an assist against Georgia Southern.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES

Georgia State had four players named to the 2020 All-Sun Belt Preseason recognition, including Aris Briggs, Matthew Fernley, Ross Finnie, and Paul Tyson. Briggs was named the league's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. He and Tyson have earned preseason recognition in each of the last two seasons.

TYSON NAMED TOP 10 GOALKEEPER BY TOPDRAWERSOCCER.COM

Georgia State senior goalkeeper Paul Tyson has been named one of the top 10 goalkeepers in the country entering the 2020 season by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Tyson, a native of Liverpool, England, earned 2019 Sun Belt All-Tournament Team honors last year after guiding the Panthers to a fifth-straight Sun Belt Conference Championship Game appearance.

REACHING TRIPLE DIGITS

GSU head coach Brett Surrency reached the 100-win plateau in the regular season finale last year. He has led GSU to 11 or more wins in three consecutive seasons and is the only coach in GSU history to take the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament.
Surrency is currently the second-winningest head coach in GSU history (108), behind only Scottie O'Neill (143), who coached the team from 1976-86.

Following the match on Saturday, Georgia State will return to the pitch on Sunday, Nov. 1, hosting Coastal Carolina at the GSU Soccer Complex at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Paul Tyson: GK; 6' 7"; Senior

#10 Matthew Fearnley: M; 5' 10"; Junior

#4 Ross Finnie: M; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#15 Justin Guest: M; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#16 George Proctor: D; 6' 1"; Senior

#19 Max Wilkins: F; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#23 Logan Luque: M; 5' 11"; Junior

#31 Aris Briggs: F; 6' 4"; Senior

#33 Gunther Rankenburg: GK; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#12 Simon Carlson: MF; 5' 6"; Freshman

#20 Andrew Bennett: MF; 6' 1"; Freshman

#27 Jeryn Hodge: F; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#1 Paul Tyson
: 6' 7"; Senior
: GK

#10 Matthew Fearnley
: 5' 10"; Junior
: M

#4 Ross Finnie
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: M

#15 Justin Guest
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: M

#16 George Proctor
: 6' 1"; Senior
: D

#19 Max Wilkins
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: F

#23 Logan Luque
: 5' 11"; Junior
: M

#31 Aris Briggs
: 6' 4"; Senior
: F

#33 Gunther Rankenburg
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: GK

#12 Simon Carlson
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: MF

#20 Andrew Bennett
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: MF

#27 Jeryn Hodge
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: F