Matthew Fearnley, Aris Briggs, and Simon Carlson
Bree Hicken

Men's Soccer

Men's Soccer Hosts Central Arkansas in Sun Belt Championship Friday

ATLANTA – The No. 2-seed Georgia State men's soccer team will open the Sun Belt Conference Championship on Friday night hosting No. 3-seed Central Arkansas at 7 p.m., at Center Parc Stadium.

Georgia State (9-2, 4-2 Sun Belt) hosts Central Arkansas (3-5, 3-3 Sun Belt) for a second-straight Friday following a 1-0 win over the Bears last week at the GSU Soccer Complex.

In that match, senior defender George Proctor scored in the 86th minute to give the Panthers the victory. On Thursday Proctor was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year and Sun Belt Defender of the Year. He was one of six Panthers honored as nearly half of the All-Sun Belt Team was made up of him and his teammates.

Georgia State is looking to reach the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game for a sixth-straight year and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. The Panthers are 6-4-2 in the tournament since returning to the league in 2014.

Despite a shortened season, the Panthers set a record pace winning nine of their first 11 matches – the most wins in 11 matches to start a season. It comes just a year after Georgia State went 6-0-3 to start the 2019 season.

Senior Aris Briggs, the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and junior Matthew Fearnley are tied for second in the NCAA in goals (5), while Briggs leads in points (13) with Fearnley is third with 11. The Panthers are outscoring their opponents 23-6 and lead the NCAA in goals and points (63). On defense, senior goalkeeper Paul Tyson leads the nation with a .864 save percentage and four shutouts.

Tickets for the championship are $10 per day or $15 for the tournament. They can be purchased at the Center Parc Stadium Ticket Office on the day of the match. Please note that all sales are credit card only - cash will not be accepted.

MATCH NOTES
  • Georgia State opens the 2020 Sun Belt Conference Championship the same way it concluded the regular season hosting Central Arkansas.
  • The two teams split the regular season series each winning on its own home field. The Panthers earned a 1-0 win over the Bears last Friday on George Proctor's 86th-minute goal, while UCA earned a 2-0 win in Conway, Ark., on Oct. 24
  • The all-time series is tied 3-3 with Georgia State leading the series in Atlanta 2-1.
  • The Panthers split a pair of matches with the Bears last season. Central Arkansas won in Atlanta 2-0 on Nov. 2, 2019, but Georgia State responded with a 1-0 win in Boone, N.C., on Nov. 15, in the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY
  • GSU has reached the Championship Game of the last five Sun Belt Conference Championships.
  • Since joining the Sun Belt, GSU has combined for a 6-4-2 record in conference tournament play.
  • The Panthers last won the championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2018. GSU also failed to advance twice to the NCAA Tournament after falling in PK's (2015-Hartwick, 2019, Coastal).
  • Georgia State last hosted the championship in 2016 earning a pair of wins over Howard and Georgia Southern before falling to Coastal Carolina 1-0 in the championship.
TOP HONORS
  • Georgia State cleaned house in the annual voting of the Sun Belt Conference postseason awards.
  • George Proctor earned Sun Belt Player of the Year as well as Defensive Player of the Year honors.
  • Aris Briggs earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors for a second-straight season.
  • Proctor, Briggs, along with Matthew Fearnley, Ross Finnie, Ramon Munoz, and Paul Tyson were named to the All-Sun Belt First Team. The Panthers took six of the 13 spots on the team.
  • Briggs garnered first team honors for a third-straight season, while Finnie accomplished it for a second year in a row. Tyson picked up his second honor (2018), while Proctor earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors in 2018.
THE LATEST
  • Georgia State enters the postseason having won two-straight matches following a 1-0 win over Central Arkansas last Friday.
  • The Panthers finished the regular season undefeated at home while also not allowing a goal, outscoring the opposition 11-0.
  • Georgia State hasn't allowed a goal at home since Nov. 2, 2019, when Central Arkansas topped the Panthers at the GSU Soccer Complex 2-0.
  • Senior George Proctor earned Sun Belt Conference weekly honors on Wednesday for a second-straight week. It marked the third time he has taken defensive honors this year.
  • Of a possible 16 Sun Belt Conference weekly awards, GSU has won 10 after Proctor took honors this week.
  • GSU's nine wins in the first 11 matches is the most wins in the first 11 matches in program history.
  • In GSU's first 11 matches, 10 different players have scored. Aris Briggs and Matthew Fearnley have five goals each. Andrew Bennett, Jeryn Hodge, Justin Guest, and Logan Luque have each scored twice, while Simon Carlson, Ross Finnie, George Proctor, and Max Wilkins have each scored once.
  • Georgia State was named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week on Sept. 21, following the Panthers 2-1 season opening win over Mercer.
  • GSU has gotten off to great starts in back-to-back seasons. Last season the Panthers started 6-0-3 before sustaining their first loss.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
  • Entering Friday, Georgia State leads the nation with 23 goals and 66 total points. Defensively the Panthers lead the nation with a .864 save percentage and .545 team goals against average.
  • Aris Briggs leads the NCAA with 13 points and is tied for second nationally with Matthew Fearnley with five goals a piece. Fearnley also leads the NCAA with three game-winning goals, standing third with 11 points.
  • In goal, Paul Tyson leads the NCAA with 31 total saves, four shutouts, 720 minutes played, and an .861 save percentage.
PANTHERS RANK HIGH ON TOP 50 LIST PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
  • Georgia State had four players named to the 2020 All-Sun Belt Preseason recognition, including Aris Briggs, Matthew Fernley, Ross Finnie, and Paul Tyson. Briggs was named the league's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. He and Tyson have earned preseason recognition in each of the last two seasons.
TYSON NAMED TOP 10 GOALKEEPER BY TOPDRAWERSOCCER.COM
  • Georgia State senior goalkeeper Paul Tyson was named one of the top 10 goalkeepers in the country entering the 2020 season by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
  • Tyson, a native of Liverpool, England, earned 2019 Sun Belt All-Tournament Team honors last year after guiding the Panthers to a fifth-straight Sun Belt Conference Championship Game appearance.
REACHING TRIPLE DIGITS
  • GSU head coach Brett Surrency reached the 100-win plateau in the regular season finale last year. He has led GSU to 11 or more wins in three consecutive seasons and is the only coach in GSU history to take the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament.
  • Surrency is currently the second-winningest head coach in GSU history (110), behind only Scottie O'Neill (143), who coached the team from 1976-86.
With a win on Friday, Georgia State would advance to the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game on Sunday at 1 p.m., at Center Parc Stadium. The Panthers would face either No. 1-seed Coastal Carolina or No. 4-seed Georgia Southern.
 
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Players Mentioned

Paul Tyson

#1 Paul Tyson

GK
6' 7"
Senior
Matthew Rios

#3 Matthew Rios

D
5' 11"
Sophomore
Matthew Fearnley

#10 Matthew Fearnley

M
5' 10"
Junior
Ross Finnie

#4 Ross Finnie

M
5' 7"
Sophomore
Justin Guest

#15 Justin Guest

M
5' 8"
Sophomore
George Proctor

#16 George Proctor

D
6' 1"
Senior
Max Wilkins

#19 Max Wilkins

F
6' 2"
Sophomore
Ramon Munoz

#21 Ramon Munoz

D
6' 2"
Sophomore
Logan Luque

#23 Logan Luque

M
5' 11"
Junior
Aris Briggs

#31 Aris Briggs

F
6' 4"
Senior
Simon Carlson

#12 Simon Carlson

MF
5' 6"
Freshman
Andrew Bennett

#20 Andrew Bennett

MF
6' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Paul Tyson

#1 Paul Tyson

6' 7"
Senior
GK
Matthew Rios

#3 Matthew Rios

5' 11"
Sophomore
D
Matthew Fearnley

#10 Matthew Fearnley

5' 10"
Junior
M
Ross Finnie

#4 Ross Finnie

5' 7"
Sophomore
M
Justin Guest

#15 Justin Guest

5' 8"
Sophomore
M
George Proctor

#16 George Proctor

6' 1"
Senior
D
Max Wilkins

#19 Max Wilkins

6' 2"
Sophomore
F
Ramon Munoz

#21 Ramon Munoz

6' 2"
Sophomore
D
Logan Luque

#23 Logan Luque

5' 11"
Junior
M
Aris Briggs

#31 Aris Briggs

6' 4"
Senior
F
Simon Carlson

#12 Simon Carlson

5' 6"
Freshman
MF
Andrew Bennett

#20 Andrew Bennett

6' 1"
Freshman
MF