ORLANDO, -- Georgia State's journey in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament came to a close on Sunday with a 3-1 loss to No. 7-ranked West Virginia at UCF Soccer Complex. The Panthers made an early mark in the 50th minute, as Ethan Sassine scored his seventh goal of the season, beautifully assisted by Hideto Gondo and Justin McLean.

Sixth-seeded Georgia State began the game with incredible intensity. In the seventh minute, Simon Carlson unleashed the first shot on goal, taking a free kick that the West Virginia goalkeeper managed to handle. Just a minute later, the Panthers earned a corner kick, and a powerful header from Ethan Sassine narrowly missed the target, going just right of the goal.

The 13th minute brought another scoring opportunity for the Panthers as Simon Carlson expertly headed a perfectly delivered cross from Shun Kushima toward the goal. However, a diving save by the West Virginia goalkeeper was required to keep the score level at 0-0. Shortly after, the Panthers had another shot attempt when Gavin Williams took a shot from outside the box. Unfortunately, it was blocked by a West Virginia defender and deflected out for a corner kick.

West Virginia, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, began to find their offensive rhythm, launching three shot attempts over the next 20 minutes. In the 36th minute, a West Virginia striker unleashed a powerful shot from inside the box that seemed destined for the back of the net. However, a sliding save from defender Oliver Hlynsson came to the rescue, helping out his goalkeeper who had been beaten.

In the 40th minute, West Virginia earned a penalty kick following a Panthers' handball. Josue Hangi stepped up and executed a remarkable diving save on the penalty kick, preserving the 0-0 score as the first half concluded.

At halftime, West Virginia led in total shots with seven, while Georgia State had six shots. Both teams managed two shots on target. Georgia State held the edge in corner kicks with two, compared to West Virginia's one.

The Panthers maintained their momentum as they began the second half. In the 51st minute, Ethan Sassine scored by heading a beautifully delivered cross from Hideto Gondo, who received a perfect pass from Justin McLean. This goal marked Sassine's seventh of the season, with both McLean and Gondo adding to their team-leading assist tally, each with their fifth assist of the season.

West Virginia wasted little time in responding, as in the 56th minute, they managed to secure the equalizer. A blocked shot fell to the West Virginia striker, who then unleashed a powerful strike from just outside the box, beating the goalkeeper.

In the 64th minute, West Virginia had another opportunity, but this time Josue Hangi came up with a crucial save, maintaining the 1-1 scoreline. However, in the 69th minute, West Virginia found the go-ahead goal when their striker skillfully slotted the ball past the diving Hangi, giving them a 2-1 lead.

The Panthers pressed forward in an attempt to find the equalizer. Unfortunately, this left them vulnerable to the West Virginia counter-attack, and in the 76th minute, West Virginia found the net again, extending their lead to 3-1. The Panthers continued to fight, and in the 84th minute, Ethan Sassine managed to steal the ball from the West Virginia goalkeeper and sent a shot just wide of the goal. The game concluded with the Panthers losing 3-1.

Georgia State fell to 6-7-5 on the season following the defeat.

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