STATESBORO, GA. – Georgia Southern Men's Soccer took a shutout win over Hartwick on Sunday afternoon in the Sun Belt Conference debut for the Eagles. The win snapped a three-game skid for the Eagles who face Howard next Saturday in another crucial Sun Belt match.

Georgia Southern is now 5-5-0 on the season with a 1-0 record in the Sun Belt. The Eagles are tied with NJIT for first place in the league with three points. Hartwick falls to 1-7-4 on the year and 0-1-1 in the Sun Belt.

"Our guys came out with a great mindset that this was the second season and our record was back to 0-0," said Head Coach Kevin Kennedy. "Hartwick was tough to break down, but we worked hard to get the first goal. We defended well after that and got another goal to secure the win. It is a tremendous feeling to start Sun Belt play with a win, especially at home."

The Eagles drew first blood in the 35th minute as Nick Wells scored his second goal of the season. The freshman product of Stockbridge, Georgia dispossessed the Hartwick defender at the edge of the attacking third and dribbled into space towards goal. He ripped a shot was the Hawks goalkeeper to tally the Eagles' first Sun Belt goal and hand the home side a lead with ten minutes left in the first half.

After the break, Hartwick put pressure on the Eagles, tallying nine shots in the second 45. The Hawks ultimately out-shot the Eagles 13-9 in the contest.

Emmanuel Raji put the Eagles up 2-0 in the 84th minute with his fourth goal of the season. An Eagle attack down the right flank crossed the ball into the box for Raji who clubbed a left-footed shot from 10 yards for the insurance goal. David Vargas Masis delivered the cross in the box to add the assist.

Junior goalkeeper Jack Falle made six saves on the day to earn his third shutout of the season.

The Eagles will take center stage on Saturday night when they face Howard under the lights at Eagle Field. The match against the Bison starts at 7 p.m. and can be seen live on GS All-Access. Admission is free to the match at the friendly confines.

Georgia Southern hosts the 2014 Sun Belt Men's Soccer Tournament on November 13-16 at Eagle Field in Statesboro. The winner of the league's tournament championship earns a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets call 1-800-GSU-WINS.