STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern came up short in the 2015 season opener, dropping a 3-1 result to Stetson in a match that the Eagles had a chance to win in the final 10 minutes. Two goals in the 85th minute for Stetson handed the Eagles their second defeat in as many seasons to the Hatters as the 2015 season got started.
"All credit to Stetson," said Head Coach
Kevin Kennedy. "They were able to convert their chances in the attacking third. We had some great opportunities, but we just couldn't finish them. We had a lot of progress tonight, the defense played well until the last five minutes and I saw a lot of good things from some players. Now we've got to try and get ready for Monday' night's game at South Carolina."
Stetson went up 1-0 in the 19th minute when Lucas Diniz slotted a penalty home after Eli Beates was hauled down just inside the danger area. He struck the ball into the top-right corner of the net to give the visitors the lead.
The Eagles needed just 96 seconds to equalize as
Eric Dinka scored a beauty of a goal in the 20th minute. The Eagles worked the ball up the middle of the park as
Jeremy Rector dished a ball to his left to find an unmarked Dinka in space. The senior winger struck a rocket ball left footed from 19 yards and scored his first goal of the season.
The Eagles had plenty of chances throughout the second half and owned the run of play for much of the game. Georgia Southern out-shot the Hatters 13-12 while shots on goal were level at 6-6.
Stetson, however, took control of the game in the 85th minute with a pair of goals. Eyal Coehn got a ball at the top of the box from Patrick Jackson and buried the shot into the upper 90 for a 2-1 advantage for the visitors.
Just 30 seconds later Stetson scored again, this time as Jackson won a ball off an Eagle defender deep in Georgia Southern territory. He took a quick shot which resulted in a goal which put the match out of reach.
The Eagles travel to face South Carolina on Monday night in Columbia. The 7 p.m. game against the Gamecocks can be seen live on SEC Network Plus at WatchESPN.com.
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