PANTHERSVILLE, GA. – Georgia Southern Men's Soccer dropped a 1-0 result to rival Georgia State on Saturday night with a potential Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Championship on the line. A 23rd minute goal was the difference in the regular season finale for both sides. The Eagles will open the 2014 Sun Belt Men's Soccer Tournament on Friday at 6:30 p.m. against Georgia State inside the friendly confines of Eagle Field. Tickets for the Sun Belt Tournament are available at GSEagles.com/tickets.

The Georgia Southern closes the 2014 regular season at 7-8-0 overall and 3-2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Eagles are tied with Georgia State on nine points at 8-9-0 overall, and will enter the Sun Belt Tournament as the No. 3 seed.

"We are obviously extremely disappointed with result," said Head Coach Kevin Kennedy. "The best thing we can do now is prepare for a familiar opponent in a tournament game on Friday night."

Georgia State got their goal in the 23rd minute when Rashid Alarape got on the end of a cross from Eddie Wilding at the far post. He headed the ball past goalkeeper Jack Falle into the top right corner of the net for the decisive goal.

The Eagles' best chance of the night came later on in the first half when David Vargas Masis rattled the woodwork from 25 yards. The senior's attempt was one of nine shots in the match for the Eagles.

The Eagles were out-shot 16-9 on the night with just four total shots on goal. Falle made a season-low two saves on the night.

The rivalry match was a brutal affair which included 31 total fouls and six bookings. The Eagles withstood 19 fouls from the Panthers and four yellow cards against Georgia State.

The Eagles will face Georgia State again in a rematch on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. from Eagle Field in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament. Single game tickets are available for $5 while tournament passes are available for just $10.

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. The tournament opens on Thursday as NJIT battles Appalachian State at 6:30 p.m.

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.