ATLANTA, -- Georgia State suffered a 3-1 home defeat against James Madison on Sunday (Oct. 22) at the GSU Soccer Complex. In the 79th minute, Matthew Taylor scored his first goal of the season.

Georgia State had a strong start to the game, with Shun Kushima having a shot blocked in the 2nd minute, resulting in a corner kick. In the 3rd minute, Simon Carlson fired a shot that narrowly missed to the left of the goal. However, James Madison quickly gained momentum, earning back-to-back corner kicks. In the 7th minute, they found the back of the net after a corner kick led to a scramble in the box, allowing the James Madison striker to fire a shot past the goalie from just outside the box, giving them their first goal of the game.

In the 19th minute, James Madison launched another attack, and this time Josue Hangi made an incredible diving save to his right, preserving the score at 1-0. Then, in the 28th minute, Justin McLean received a pass from Simon Carlson, skillfully beat his defender, and fired a shot that narrowly missed to the left.

JMU continued to apply pressure to the Panthers' defense, registering the final three shots of the first half. The first of these attempts required another save by Josue Hangi. The Panthers managed to hang on and reached halftime trailing 1-0. At the half, James Madison led in shots (five to four) and shots on target (three to zero), but Georgia State had the advantage in corner kicks (six to four).

James Madison wasted no time attacking in the 2nd half. They fired a shot in the 47th minute that missed just high. Then, 30 seconds later, James Madison capitalized on a Panther giveaway, finding the goal from just inside the box to make the score 2-0.

The Panthers persisted in their efforts to score but remained unable to find the back of the net. Multiple attempts were made, with Tom Williams, Jordan Beam, and Bryan Akongo all narrowly missing the target. In the 76th minute, the Panthers were awarded a free kick from outside the box, and Gavin Williams unleashed a powerful shot that struck the right goalpost.

Just when it appeared Georgia State might struggle to breach the keeper's defenses, a pivotal moment unfolded. Charlie Ward delivered a pinpoint long pass over the James Madison backline, connecting with Matthew Taylor. Taylor found himself in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper and skillfully beat the keeper, reducing the deficit to 2-1. This marked Taylor's first goal of the season and the second of his career.

The Panthers, desperate to find a game-tying goal, pushed all their players forward, which left them vulnerable to the counter-attack. In the 84th minute, James Madison capitalized on this vulnerability, notching their third goal and extending their lead to 3-1. Despite their relentless efforts, the Panthers couldn't find any more goals, and the game concluded with a final score of 3-1.

Georgia St. fell to 5-5-5 overall and 2-3-2 in SBC action following the loss.

The Panthers are set to make their return to the pitch on Friday, October 27th, at 7 pm, for Senior Night. They will be facing the #2 ranked UCF Knights at home.

For all things Georgia State soccer, follow the team on social (@gsumenssoccer) as the Panthers continue the 2023 season.