CONWAY, -- Georgia State secured a 1-0 victory over Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, October 31, at the Coastal Carolina Soccer Stadium. The decisive goal, coming in the 82nd minute, was scored by Bryan Akongo, who found the back of the net with an assist from Hideto Gondo. This marked Akongo's first goal of the season.

Coastal Carolina wasted no time at the beginning of the game, firing off two shots and earning a corner kick within the first ten minutes. The Panthers' first opportunity to strike came in the 16th minute when Alex Henderson took a shot that narrowly missed the right goalpost.

Georgia State managed to register their first shot on target in the 25th minute when Tom Williams unleashed a shot from outside the box, which the Coastal keeper successfully managed. The Panthers' last chance of the first half came from Justin McLean, but his shot narrowly missed the left side of the goal, resulting in a 0-0 score going into halftime.

At halftime, Coastal Carolina had the advantage in shots, recording five shots compared to Georgia State's three. Georgia State managed the only shot on target in the half and led in corner kicks, with two to Coastal Carolina's one.

Similar to the first half, Coastal Carolina began the second half with great intensity. They produced three shots and earned two corner kicks within the first six minutes. In the 50th minute of the game, Josue Hangi made his first save of the night, sliding to his left to stop the shot.

In the 53rd minute, Oliver Hlynsson took a powerful free kick that struck the Coastal Carolina wall. The ball rebounded to Shun Kushima, who headed it against the post. The ball then ricocheted back to the goalkeeper, ensuring the score remained level at 0-0.

Coastal Carolina swiftly countered after the save and created a scoring opportunity, but Josue Hangi managed to handle the shot. In the 58th minute, Coastal had another attempt on goal, forcing Hangi to make yet another remarkable save.

The Panthers would go on to create the next two shots on goal. In the 70th minute, Simon Carlson took a shot from a free kick that was saved by the Coastal keeper. Additionally, in the 77th minute, Charlie Ward had a header that was stopped by the Coastal goalkeeper.

The Panthers would finally make a breakthrough in the 82nd minute. Hideto Gondo delivered a beautiful low cross into the box, and Bryan Akongo slid to kick the ball past the goalie, providing the Panthers with a 1-0 lead. This goal marked the first of the season for Akongo and also represents a team-leading fourth assist of the season from Hideto Gondo.

Coastal Carolina sent numbers forward in an attempt to find the tying goal. They managed to get one more shot on goal, but Josue Hangi made his fourth save of the game, securing his fourth shutout of the season in a 1-0 win for the Panthers.

The win boosted Georgia St.'s record to 6-6-5 overall and 3-4-2 in SBC play.

The Panthers will be back in action on Sunday, November 5th, for the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament.

For all things Georgia State soccer, follow the team on social (@gsumenssoccer) as the Panthers continue the 2023 season.