Men's Soccer 8/25/2021 2:00:00 PM

Men's Soccer Opens Season THERS-day Hosting UNF

ATLANTA – Looking to build off the momentum of a solid exhibition season, the Georgia State men's soccer team will open the 2021 regular season hosting UNF on Thursday night at 6 p.m. at the new GSU Soccer Complex.

Coming off a 9-2-2 2020 season, Georgia State will be looking to win a sixth-straight home opener and third-straight regular season opener as the Ospreys travel north on the first night of the regular season.

The Panthers went 1-0-2 in exhibition play including a 0-0 draw with No. 6 Clemson last Saturday night.

Georgia State returns a talented group that includes nine seniors and 17 total upperclassmen. Senior Matthew Fearnley, who tied for the team lead last year with five goals and earned CoSIDA Academic All-American honors, the first in program history, will be looking to build upon a sixth-straight conference tournament championship game appearance while joining a new league, the Mid-American Conference.

On defense, Sun Belt Player of the Year and Sun Belt Defensive Player of the George Proctor returns after leading one of the best back lines statistically in the country last year. Proctor earned Senior CLASS Award First Team honors and was named to the MAC Hermann Watch List.

Along with a new league, the Panthers also moved into a new facility over the summer. The Georgia State soccer teams took over what used to be the GSU Football Practice Complex, converting it into a state-of-the-art soccer complex just a block from the State Capitol. Admission and parking are free at the new GSU Soccer Complex which is located at 188 MLK Jr. Dr. SE.

MATCH NOTES
? After a three-game exhibition slate, Georgia State opens the regular season hosting UNF out of Jacksonville, Fla.
? Georgia State owns a 5-2 record all-time against the Ospreys including a 2-0 win over UNF during the 2019 season.
? Georgia State has won two-straight regular season openers and five-straight home openers dating back to the 2016 season.
? The Panthers are 2-1 all-time against the Ospreys in Atlanta.

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
? Georgia State finished the 2020 shortened season going 9-2-2 and received votes in multiple top 25 polls throughout the season.
? Georgia State got off to a hot start last season going 5-0 in its first five matches while allowing just two goals.
? The Panthers played in a sixth-straight conference tournament championship game before falling to Coastal Carolina for the league title in penalty kicks last November.
? Georgia State returns senior George Proctor who earned both Sun Belt Player of the Year and Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors last season. He led a backline that statistically was one of the best in the nation.
? 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.
? Although Georgia State returns a great deal of its production from last year, there will be two big missing pieces this season. Senior Aris Briggs was drafted by Real Salt Lake in the third round of the MLS Draft and fellow senior goalkeeper Paul Tyson graduated and elected to turn pro. Briggs shared the team lead with five goals, while Tyson went 7-1-2 in goal and pitched five shutouts.

THE LATEST
? 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 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 for 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 (110), behind only Scottie O'Neill (143), who coached the team from 1976-86.

WHAT'S NEXT
? Georgia State takes to the road for the first time making the trip down I-75 to face Mercer on Sunday night at 6 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

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