HOMEWOOD, Ala. - Three first half goals proved too much to overcome for the Georgia State women's soccer, who fell at Samford 4-2. Ashley Nagy and Jordan Young scored for the Panthers who fall to 1-5-1 this season.
“They took advantage of our mistakes. If you make a mistake against a good team they will make you pay the price,” head coach Derek Leader said after the loss. “We are close. The team is improving, but we are not there yet."
GSU opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Ashley Nagy found the back of the net for the first time this season. Margaret Bruemmer played a through ball to Nagy, who was able to beat Samford goalkeeper Katie Peters with a shot to the left to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
“Samford is a very good team, who has already beated three SEC teams this year. When we went up one goal Samford really upped their intensity,” Leader said.
In the 35th minute, Samford tied the score 1-1 on Hallie Georgi's second goal of the season. Trine Taule played a cross into the box from the right, and Georgi was able to slot it past Georgia State goalie Brie Haynes.
Samford grabbed a 2-1 lead seven minutes later after Amanda Abbott assisted on Michelle Moll's goal. Moll and Abbott played a give-and-go and Moll was able to get behind the Panther defense. Then, she was able to fire a shot into the top left corner past Haynes.
Thirty seconds later, also in the 43rd minute, the Bulldogs extended their lead to 3-1. A GSU defender was called for a foul inside the 18 yard box and Samford was awarded a penalty shot. Taule stepped up to the penalty spot and slotted the ball home to give the Bulldogs a two goal cushion.
The first half ended with Samford leading 3-1. The Bulldogs held the edge in shots (8-4) and each team took one corner kick during the first 45 minutes of play.
“Give upping a late goal in the first half and an early goal in the second half was very tough. We are very close to getting the results that we are striving for,” Leader said.
In the second half, Samford extended their lead to 4-1 after just 34 seconds. Moll found the back of the net for the second time in the game after her shot deflected off Haynes from seven yards out.
In the 56th minute, Jordan Young brought the Panthers within two after scoring her team leading third goal of the season. GSU was awarded an indirect free kick inside the 18 yard box. Nagy passed the ball to Young who fired a shot into the top left corner past Peters.
Two minutes later, Samford's Malcanisha Kelley's shot was saved by Miranda Griffin. The referee called a hand ball on the Georgia State defender, and Samford was awarded their second penalty kick of the match. Molly Pittman tried to score on the goalie's right, but Haynes was able to make the diving save to keep the score 4-2 to Samford.
In the 65th minute, Haynes made her fourth save of the match on a free kick attempt by Moll. Haynes recorded two more saves in the 77th and 80th minutes on shots by Pittman and Lindsey Hansen respectively.
GSU continued to push forward in search of goals but were unable to generate any quality scoring chances and Samford held on for the 4-2 win.
Brie Haynes get the loss for Georgia State and falls to 1-5-1. She finished with six saves on 24 shots faced. Katie Peters earned the win for Samford and improves to 6-2. She finished with two saves on nine shots faced.
The Panthers return to the field Sunday, Sept. 22, when they face the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State. The match is set to kick-off at 3 p.m. ET.
“The team is looking forward to the match, but our goal is to eliminate the silly mistakes and incorrect decisions that has plagued us in the past,” Leader said. “The team is committed to that endeavor and hopefully the results will follow. It is about what we can do and that is the team mindset. We know we can do better.”
