Men's Soccer 10/22/2021 12:28:00 PM

Men's Soccer Hosts No. 21 Northern Illinois Saturday Night

ATLANTA – Coming off a key MAC victory on Thursday night, the Georgia State men's soccer team will close out a three-game homestand hosting No. 21 Northern Illinois on Saturday night at 7 p.m., at the new GSU Soccer Complex.

Georgia State (10-3-0, 2-1-0 MAC) is receiving votes in the College Soccer News Top 30 for a second-straight week and have now won seven of its last eight matches following a 2-0 win over Western Michigan on Thursday night.

Northern Illinois (10-1-2, 2-0-2 MAC) is coming off a 1-1 draw at Georgia Southern on Thursday, however the Huskies recently had a streak of nine-straight wins and seven-straight shutouts that just came to an end.

In Georgia State's 13 matches, the Panthers have scored 29 goals and allowed just 15, a plus-14 goal differential that is tied for the 29th-best in the country. Of interesting note, five of those 15 goals allowed have come via penalty kicks.

The Panthers are ranked No. 19 in the country with 29 goals scored, averaging 2.23 goals per game which ranks No. 22 in the NCAA.

Freshman Ethan Sassine, who scored a pair of goals against the Broncos on Thursday night, leads the Panthers with six goals and 13 points this year. The six goals ranks 60^th in the country.

In that same game, goalkeeper Gunther Rankenburg picked up his fourth shutout of the season which is tied for 40^th in the country. His 38 total saves are just four shy of the MAC lead.

MATCH NOTES

Georgia State concludes a stretch of three-straight home games hosting No. 21 for the first time in program history.
For the second straight week the Panthers are receiving votes in the College Soccer News Top 30 Poll. Five teams in the MAC are either in the Top 30 or receiving votes.
As of Tuesday, the Panthers are ranked No. 45 in the NCAA RPI Report, while Northern Illinois was No. 54. Five MAC schools are ranked among the Top 55.
The Panthers are 4-1 at home this season having outscored their opponents 11-5 in those games.
GSU has won seven of its last eight matches outscoring their opponents 20-9 in those games.

NEW HOMES

Georgia State has a pair of new homes this season. The Panthers opened the new GSU Soccer Complex at 188 MLK Jr. Drive SE earlier this summer. The location previously housed the Georgia State Football team for 10 years.
The Panthers second new home this year is the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Panthers along with in-state rival Georgia Southern joined the league earlier this summer. In fitting fashion, the two schools will face off in the final match of the regular season.

QUICK HITS

Last time out, Georgia State earned a 2-0 win over Western Michigan to improve to 2-1 in MAC play. Freshman Ethan Sassine scored his team-leading 5th and 6th goals of the season.
In the win on Thursday, the Panthers earned their 10th win of the season. GSU has won at least 10 matches in five of the last six seasons. The lone year Georgia State did not win 10 matches was last year when the program went 9-2-2 due to a shortened schedule because of COVID-19.
In the month of October, the Panthers will face four teams either ranked or receiving votes in the College Soccer News Top 30 poll. Georgia State already has a win over No. 13 Akron which was the first MAC win this year and seventh time in program history defeating a ranked opponent.
In Georgia State's win at UAB in September, GSU picked up the 500th win in program history.
As of Friday, Georgia State is tied for the most road wins (6) of any team in the country. GSU is tied with Washington, New Hampshire, UMass, and LMU (CA) for the most.
The Panthers are one of just 19 programs in the country to have reached 10 or more wins so far this season as of standings on Friday morning.
Georgia State's +14 goal differential is tied for the 29th-best mark in the NCAA.
The Panthers are averaging 2.23 goals per game which ranks 22nd in the nation.
Senior defender George Proctor has found the back of the net three times this year with all three goals coming via penalty kick. The reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year has made three of his four attempts this year.
Senior Matthew Fearnley became the first CoSIDA Academic All-American in program history last spring, while both he and fellow senior Logan Luque earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. Fearnley shared the team lead with five goals scored. He has three goals this year which is tied for fourth on the team. He is now one of 30 nominees for the Senior CLASS Award.
Despite 17 upperclassmen on the team this year, freshmen have already been making an impact. Sassine shares the team lead with six goals, while Jordan Beam and Bryan Silva have both scored their first collegiate goals this year.

EXHIBITION PLAY

Georgia State finished exhibition play with a 1-0-2 record with a 2-1 win at Presbyterian College, along with 0-0 draws against No. 6 Clemson (now No. 2) and Clayton State.
In the win against the Blue Hose, it was a pair of newcomers getting the goals. Graduate transfer Iolo Jones got the Panthers on the board in the first half, and it was freshman Ethan Sassine who proved to have the game winning goal in the second half.

IT'S NOT HOW YOU START, BUT HOW YOU FINISH

Georgia State enters the Mid-American Conference as one of the newbies along with Georgia Southern. Despite playing in six-straight conference tournament championship games and making an appearance in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the Panthers were selected sixth in the annual MAC Preseason Poll as selected by the coaches.

2021 MAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. West Virginia - 40 (3)
2. Akron - 39 (1)
3. Bowling Green - 38 (2)
4. Western Michigan - 30 (1)
5. NIU - 22
6. Georgia State - 17
7. Georgia Southern - 10
(*) First Place Votes
MAC Champion: WVU (3), BGSU (2), WMU (1) Akron (1)

REACHING TRIPLE DIGITS

GSU head coach Brett Surrency reached the 100-win plateau in the regular season finale of the 2019 season. He had led GSU to 11 or more wins in three consecutive seasons before last season where the Panthers played only 13 matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He 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 (120), behind only Scottie O'Neill (143), who coached the team from 1976-86.

WHAT'S NEXT

Georgia State will close out the road portion of the MAC schedule traveling to No. 13 West Virginia on Thursday for a 3 p.m. contest.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Matthew Fearnley: M; 5' 11"; Senior

#23 Logan Luque: M; 5' 10"; Senior

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

#1 Gunther Rankenburg: GK; 6' 3"; Junior

#14 Bryan Silva: MF; 5' 8"; Freshman

#19 Ethan Sassine: F; 5' 10"; Freshman

#28 Jordan Beam: MF; 5' 7"; Freshman

#3 Iolo Jones: MF; 5' 11"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#10 Matthew Fearnley
: 5' 11"; Senior
: M

#23 Logan Luque
: 5' 10"; Senior
: M

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

#1 Gunther Rankenburg
: 6' 3"; Junior
: GK

#14 Bryan Silva
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: MF

#19 Ethan Sassine
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: F

#28 Jordan Beam
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: MF

#3 Iolo Jones
: 5' 11"; Graduate Student
: MF