MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The Georgia State men's soccer fell to West Virginia 1-0 on a wet and cold Saturday night at Dick Dlesk Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va. Andy Bevin scored in the 69th minute to lead the Mountaineers to the victory. The Panthers fall to 5-7-1 this season.
WVU had the first attacking chance in the 4th minute. Following a Mountaineer corner kick, Alex Ochoa fired a shot on goal but it was off target. GSU's first scoring chance came in the 18th minute. Amiri Abraham tested West Virginia goalkeeper Lee Johnston with a shot, but Johnston was able to make the save.
Amidst heavy rain, both teams attempted shots but none were on target until the 36th minute. Stephen McGill fired a shot on goal, but Johnston was there to record his second save. In the 44th minute, the Panthers threatened again but Johnston saved Eddie Wilding's attempt.
At the break, both teams had attempted five shots but GSU held the edge in shots on goal (3-0). Each team took one corner kick during the first 45 minutes.
In the 46th minute, Johnston made another save on a shot by McGill. Georgia State goalkeeper CJ Cochran was called on to make his first save of the match in the 49th minute on a shot by Ochoa. 10 minutes later, West Virginia had a trio of chances. First, Cochran saved Christian Diaz's attempt. Then, Majed Osman had a shot blocked and a second deflect off the crossbar.
In the 69th minute, Majed and Jamie Merriam assisted on Bevin's seventh goal of the season to give WVU a 1-0 lead. Bevin fired a shot that deflected off Cochran and into the back of the net.
GSU pushed numbers forward in search of an equalizing goal over the final 21 minutes but only one of its four attempts was on target. McGill fired a shot on goal in the 89th minute but Johnston made the save to secure the 1-0 win for the Mountaineers.
Georgia State's Cochran falls to 4-7-1 after the loss. He finished with two saves on 16 shots faced. West Virginia's Johnston earned the win to improve to 6-4-2. He recorded six saves on 11 shots.
The Panthers return to Atlanta to start a four-match home stand against Furman on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The match is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. ET at the GSU Soccer Complex.
