Peach State Soccer Recap: Georgia’s Division 1 teams wind down non-league play

Georgia State

The Panther men came up empty in a pair of games up in Providence. First up was a 2-1 overtime loss to Brown, in which a second-minute goal by GSU failed to stand up as the Bears added an equalizer in the 23rd minute (Nico Lozada) before ending it in the first overtime session courtesy of Matthew Chow. The Panthers fell victim to six Brown saves while Yannic Horn turned aside just two shots on a relatively light day, but the two he allowed to get through were the difference. GSU would then take on Providence College, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Friars. A pair of markers in the 47th and 78th minutes for PC helped them to their fourth win of the season.

The Panther women bounced back from a 4-0 drubbing at Western Kentucky last Sunday with a 2-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana. Erin Rhodes and Kylie Ruffule came away with their first goals of the season as GSU improved to 3-2-2 on the season in their final game before Sun Belt action begins.

Kennesaw State

The Owls were dealt two losses this past weekend against two in-state foes - their second and third in four games. Despite taking a 2-0 lead over Georgia Southern with goals by Carly Pessgrove and Jessica Sexton coming just under a minute apart midway through the first half, it was the Eagles battling back - first getting on the board courtesy of Melinda Lucas in the 33rd, followed by Rachel Hoekstra in the 50th and the eventual game winner by Sarah Price in the 87th to nail down the win.

Georgia and KSU did battle on Sunday night in Athens, with the Bulldogs controlling play fairly well in a 1-0 victory. The Dawgs fired 24 shots - with Taylor Crowder’s tally in the 75th minute the only one to get past Ashley Zambetti. Zambetti did everything that was asked of her as she made 13 saves in the loss, in contrast to Louise Hogrell’s eight stops to shut out the Owls.

Dave Williamson Photography

Georgia

UGA was able to bounce back nicely with a win over Kennesaw State, which came a couple of days after a 3-0 loss to nationally-ranked South Carolina. The Gamecocks held the Dawgs to just three shots, a stark contrast to their 24-shot effort that would come a few days later in their 1-0 win over KSU.

Dave Williamson Photography

Mercer

The Mercer men saw their Sunday match against Central Florida wiped out due to some active weather in the Macon area, but got their Thursday evening contest in against Lipscomb in Nashville - a 1-0 Bears win in overtime. Max Poore score just 69 seconds into the extra session as Mercer improved to 4-1 in the 2016 campaign.

The women played a single game this past weekend - a scoreless draw at home against Troy on Friday. The Trojans outshot the Bears 15-6, but couldn’t find the back of the net as Cristina Mursulli and Leah Cochran combined for three saves.

Georgia Southern

The Eagle men’s lone weekend match was on Friday, a 1-1 draw to James Madison. JMU’s Aaron Ward-Baptiste scored in the 36th minute, but Rasmus Juul’s first career goal just three minutes into the second half set the game’s final margin. Georgia Southern held the shot advantage in this one (17-10) but had five shots on frame to the Dukes’ seven.

The women split their two games this past weekend. After their 3-2 victory over Kennesaw State (see above), they fell to nationally-ranked South Florida by a 2-0 count. The Bulls struck in the 25th and 28th minutes and goalkeeper Kat Elliott stopped four shots to extend USF’s hot start to 7-0-0.

Coming Up This Week

Georgia State
MSoc (3-3) - 9/17 vs. Presbyterian
WSoc (3-2-2) - 9/16 at UL Lafayette; 9/18 at Texas State (both Sun Belt matches)

Kennesaw State (4-3-1)
9/16 - at Samford; 9/4 vs. Winthrop

Georgia (3-4-1)
9/16- at Texas A&M (SEC match)

Mercer
MSoc (4-1) - 9/14 vs. Jacksonville; 9/17 vs. Georgia Southern
WSoc (2-4-1) - 9/15 at Florida State

Georgia Southern
MSoc (2-2-1) - 9/13 at South Carolina; 9/17 at Mercer
WSoc (3-3-1) - 9/15 at UL Monroe; 9/18 at South Alabama (both Sun Belt matches)