Eagles Open Regular Season At Home Against USC Upstate Wednesday
8/31/2010 7:34:00 PM | Men's Soccer
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Men's Soccer Team opens the regular season Wednesday (September 1) against USC Upstate at 4 p.m. at Eagle Field.
The Eagles posted a 2-0-1 record in their three exhibition games, knocking off Mercer 1-0 and Lander 4-1 before playing Gardner-Webb to a scoreless draw to wrap up preseason play.
Five different Eagles scored goals during the exhibition matches, led by seniors Jon Cox (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Austin Steele (Kennesaw, Ga.), who each had a goal and an assist. Freshmen Hunter Norton (Evans, Ga.) and Drew Ruggles (Manassas, Va.), as well as 2007 All-Southern Conference Second Team selection Luigi Clendening (Augusta, Ga.), each scored a goal.
Junior transfer Ryan Platt (Preston, England) saw the majority of minutes in goal during the three matches, playing more than four of the six halves. He made two saves, allowing just one goal in 195:47 minutes.
Georgia Southern has faced USC Upstate on the pitch three times, with the Eagles holding a 2-1 edge in the series. The Eagles won the first match, a 1-0 overtime victory in 2007, and took a 2-0 win in 2008, before the Spartans earned a 3-1 victory in 2009.
The Spartans went 2-0 in their exhibition matches, defeating Clemson 2-1 after a 3-0 victory over Spartanburg Methodist College. Hakeem King scored two of the Spartans' five goals, finding the back of the net once in each game.
The match is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., and the first 50 fans will receive a free chicken sandwich, courtesy of Chick-fil-A. Fans will also be treated to a "Mascot Soccer Match" at halftime, featuring the Farmers and Merchants Bank Bee, the American Campus Communities Eagle, Subway's "Subman," Papa John's "Slice," Manny's Neighborhood Grille's "Manny," and "GUS".
