Men's Soccer | 11/12/2015 3:26:00 PM

BOONE, N.C.– Georgia Southern's drive for a Sun Belt Tournament Championship begins on Friday as the Eagles face in-state rival Georgia State in the 3 p.m. semifinal. The match can be seen live on ESPN3 from the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex in Boone, N.C.

MATCH SNAPSHOT
GS vs. Georgia State
Friday | Nov. 13 | 3 p.m.
Boone, N.C. | Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex
Live Stats | ESPN3 Broadcast | Tournament Central Page | Game Notes

BONUS POINT IS ON THE LINE
A bonus point is on the line for both programs in the Georgia Southern-Georgia State rivalry series. The series is tied 2.0-2.0 with a point and a half being awarded last weekend. For more information about the rivalry series, click HERE.

LAST MATCH
Georgia Southern dropped a 5-3 result to the Panthers on Saturday night in the regular season finale. Adam Abdellaoui scored twice in the match while Eric Dinka posted the Eagles' third score of the night. Georgia Southern led 2-0 in the first half hour, but two goals late in the first half leveled the contest. Further goals by the Panthers in the 75th and 81st minutes wrote the story as the Panthers claimed the No. 2 seed for the postseason.

IT'S A CASE OF DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN
The 2015 postseason is shaping up in much the same way as the 2014 edition of the Sun Belt Tournament. As in 2014, the Eagles dropped the regular season finale to the Panthers. On Friday the Eagles will look to avenge that loss for the second-straight season and move on to the Sun Belt Championship Match.

ABOUT THE EAGLES
Georgia Southern opens the postseason as the No. 3 seed for the Sun Belt Tournament. The Eagles, 6-8-1 on the season and 3-2 in the Sun Belt are led in scoring by Nick Wells. The sophomore has 10 points between two goals and six assists. Emmanuel Raji and Adam Abdellaoui each have four goals to pace the offense.

FIVE NAMED ALL-SUN BELT
Five Eagles were placed on the Sun Belt All-Conference Team as announced on Wednesday night at the league's banquet. Emmanuel Raji, Chase Park and Jeremy Rector were each selected to the first team. Jack Falle and Nick Wells were named Second Team All-Sun Belt.

SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE
Georgia State enters with a three-match win streak and the offensive attack ranked No. 5 in the NCAA. The Panthers are 9-7 overall and finished 4-1 in the Sun Belt. Eddie Wilding and Jad Elkhalil have five goals each to lead the Panthes who have outscored opponents 38-27 this year.

SERIES HISTORY
Georgia Southern trails 9-22-5 in the all-time series, but snapped a three-match skid against the Panthers last year. The Panthers lead the series 2-1 during the Eagles' Sun Belt era.

NEXT UP
With a win, Georgia Southern will advance to the Sun Belt Championship Game. Kickoff for the match is 1 p.m. with live video available on ESPN3. The winner of Sunday's match will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

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