ATLANTA — The Panthers welcomed third-ranked West Virginia in a battle between Sun Belt Conference foes. Joel Gonzalez took advantage of an Virgil Dall'Agnol assist to crack a staunch Mountaineer defense. The visitors responded in the final minute of the first half to knot the game 1-1 headed into the break. The game looked to be headed for a draw until the late heroics of Dylan Williams gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead that would hold, handing West Virginia their first conference defeat. 

How It Happened
The Panthers first corner kick of opportunity of the game gave Dall'Agnol a chance to put the ball right where his teammates could take advantage. Outleaping a crowd of Panthers and Mountaineers, Gonzalez needed every inch of his vertical jump to put a head on the ball. His well timed jump led to a well placed shot, beating the West Virginia keeper for his first career goal.

The Georgia State defense looked to have West Virginia sufficiently bottled up, with hopes of taking the 1-0 lead into the break. That seal gave way, however, when a missed shot ricocheted off of the top crossbar and was quickly stuffed into the net to tie the game at one goal per side heading into the intermission.

The Panthers' offensive opportunities were few and far between in the second half, but the defense continued to play well as a 1-1 tie began to look likely. The Panthers offensive drought, however, came to an end when two of the team's four Williamses connected in the 74th minute. Tom Williams fed Dylan Williams a leading pass that set him up in close range to the net. The West Virginia defense was quick to swarm, though, forcing Dylan into a corner with a difficult angle on the mouth of the goal. He took the only shot he could, floating the ball high over two Mountaineer defenders and their keeper, being sure not to bend it too far away from the net. The circus shot bounced off the far post and into the net, giving the Panthers a 2-1 lead that the defense would protect for the victory. 

Game Notes

• The win over No. 3 West Virginia marks the second-highest ranked team the Panthers have ever beaten, and their highest since taking down No. 2 Wake Forest in 2017
• Gonzalez and Dylan Williams each recorded their first goal of the season in the victory
• The victory marks the team's second win over West Virginia, with the first coming in the 2021 MAC tournament over the then-No. 14 Mountaineers
• Goalkeeper Loan Marin recorded a season-high nine saves in the victory
• The Panthers now sit tied for fourth in the Sun Belt standings with a .600 win percentage in conference play

Up Next
The Panthers will look to continue their winning ways when they travel to Conway, S.C. to take on conference foe Coastal Carolina on Wednesday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m.