ATHENS, GA. ? The Georgia State University women's soccer team dropped a close decision to the University of Georgia, 1-0, in front of nearly 2,000 fans in a nationally-televised contest on Fox Soccer Channel in Athens on Thursday night.
Georgia State (4-2-0, 0-0-0) allowed an early goal in the first six minutes and were unable to match the Georgia lead, despite increased offensive pressure fueled by substitutions and more consistent play in the second half.
“It was disappointing to allow an early goal off a defensive mistake when we played well throughout the majority of the game,” said Georgia State head coach Domenic Martelli. “We matched Georgia's intensity and took control at times in the second half, but were unable to get the equalizing score. However, this game gave us an opportunity to prepare for our tough conference schedule and we showed that we can compete with a talented team on national television. In addition, this game was a great showcase for Georgia State and soccer in the state of Georgia.”
The regionally-ranked Bulldogs of Georgia (6-1-0, 0-0-0) took the one-goal advantage in the first six minutes of the opening half when sophomore forward Carrie Patterson stole a ball in front of the goal box. Patterson quickly pushed the ball to the bottom left corner of the net past freshman goalkeeper Heidi Blankenship in her first start.
Georgia placed pressure on the Panthers' defensive end early, resulting in five Bulldog corner kicks in the first 20 minutes. But, the Panthers' defenders fought to prevent scoring opportunities with team saves and by clearing crossing passes.
State's offense began creating scoring chances mid-way through the first half, including consecutive corner kicks. Freshman forward Stephanie Cuccia bent the first corner kick and senior Nathalie Carter gathered the ball in traffic for a shot, but a Georgia defender blocked the attempt out of bounds, resulting in a second corner that Georgia State was unable to capitalize on.
In the second half, Georgia State was the more dominant team through the majority of play and put consistent pressure on the Georgia defense. The Panthers were able to create multiple offensive opportunities, but again were unable to score.
Freshman midfielder Kaila Muecke and junior forward Kara Vezza gave Georgia State added energy off the bench in the second half and helped the Panthers begin constructing long drives and strings of passes.
After one such occasion that resulted in a corner kick, junior forward Kay Harbrueger bent the ball at the Georgia goal in the 25th minute of the second stanza, but the Panthers were unable to get to the pass before Georgia goalkeeper Michelle Beto grabbed the attempt.
Georgia pushed offensively late in the game, but the Panthers' defense was able to close any opportunity for the Bulldogs, including a defensive block of an open Georgia shot by Kristen McKillop.
“You always want a positive result, but we feel good about how we played and that every aspect of the game was strong for us in the second half,” added Martelli. “I'm eager to see how we will fare in the conference this year, but we have to take care of business against Tennessee Tech on Sunday.”
The Panthers return to action on Sunday at Tennessee Tech at 2 p.m. in Cookeville, Tenn. Check GeorgiaStateSports.com for results following the game.
