Men's Soccer | 10/14/2016 11:11:00 AM

STATESBORO – The Georgia Southern men's soccer team dips back into the Sun Belt Conference schedule this weekend with a road game at conference newcomer Coastal Carolina. The Eagles and Chanticleers will play in Conway, S.C. with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.

MATCH SNAPSHOT 
GS vs. Coastal Carolina
Saturday, Oct. 15   |  7 p.m. EDT   |   Coastal Carolina Soccer Stadium (Conway, S.C.)
Live Stats   |  Video (Chanticleer Sports Network $$)

SCOUTING THE CHANTICLEERS
Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina have met just five times with Coastal owning a slight 3-2 advantage over the Eagles, including a 2-1 record in Conway. The last meeting between the two came in 1998 in Conway with the Chanticleers edging the Eagles 3-2 in double overtime. The 1998 season was also the first season for Shaun Docking at the helm of the CCU program. Now in his 19^th season in Conway, Docking has led Coastal to a record of 246-110-33, including 16 Big South Conference championships and 11 NCAA tournament appearances.

This season, CCU is 4-5-2, including 0-1 in Sun Belt play and 2-0-2 at home. The Chanticleers started the year off with back-to-back losses to then 17^th-ranked Virginia and William & Mary, but rebounded with two positive results in a row at home against UAB and South Carolina. After a pair of road losses, the Chants won three games in a row by a combined score of 7-3 and then tied nationally-ranked Clemson at home before dropping their conference opener at Hartwick. CCU hasn't played since last Saturday's road game at Hartwick.

The Chanticleers have been led in scoring so far this season by Martin Melchor's four goals and Frantzdy Pierrot's three. Both also lead the team with nine points as Pierrot has three assists and Melchor is tops on the squad with 32 shots, 17 on frame. Pierrot has scored two game-winners to Melchor's one. Wes White, Robin Bjornholm-Jatta and Jair Espinoza have the other goals on the year for CCU. Only three players have started every match for the Chants, including Miguel Gutierrez, Ryan Willoughby and Brennan Koslow. Five other players have played in every game. In goal, Braulio Linares-Ortiz has started nine games, logging over 850 minutes. He boasts a 0.64 goals against average has he has allowed just six goals all season compared to making 34 saves. He has recorded four shutouts on the year and has faced 83 shots.

2016 CCU Roster
2016 CCU Schedule
2016 CCU Statistics

LAST TIME OUT
Freshman forward Josh Bronstorph scored his first collegiate goal Wednesday night with a strike to the bottom left corner of the net with eight seconds left in regulation to lift the Georgia Southern men's soccer team to a 3-2 win over Gardner-Webb at Eagle Field.

The 2016 Gatorade Georgia Boy's Soccer Player of the Year scored 31 goals in his high school career, and Wednesday night he showed the large crowd gathered at Eagle Field how he became one of the most dangerous players in the Peach State during his prep career. The game-winning strike came with eight seconds left in regulation as Bronstorph dribbled towards the box. The freshman forward out of Dunwoody, Ga. found Blake Wilson waiting to his right and fed him the ball. Wilson, who has proven a deft scorer himself with eight goals on the season, gave a perfect one touch ball back to Bronstorph, who had crossed behind and to Wilson's right, giving Bronstorph the chance to capitalize with a shot from 25 yards out to put the Eagles ahead for good.

Senior Jeremy Rector got the scoring going in just the second minute of the game as he corralled in a rebounded header that Chris MacMurray hit off the post. Rector collected the rebound and easily put the ball past the Gardner-Webb goalkeeper to give GS the 1-0 lead. However, just over a minute later, the Bulldogs answered with a goal from Severin Soerlie followed by another, this time from David Koloko, to go up 2-1 before the intermission.

Following the half, the Eagles turned up the heat, ending the game with 23 shots, including seven on frame. In the 73^rd minute, Sander Wang dribbled into the box and fed Filip Davidosvki who sent a cross over to Nick Wells. Wells didn't waste his opportunity as he scored his second goal of the season, tying the game at 2-2 and setting up the exciting finish.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN NINTH IN LATEST SOUTHEAST REGION POLL
Georgia Southern entered this week ninth in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Southeast Region poll. The Eagles are one spot ahead of rival Georgia State. Florida Gulf Coast is first in the Southeast, Charlotte is second, Kentucky third, South Carolina fourth and Sun Belt Conference foe Hartwick is fifth. Georgia Southern has defeated three teams that were ranked in the top-10 in the Southeast Region at the time, including Stetson, North Florida and Georgia State.

WILSON, FJAER AMONG NATION'S BEST IN FOUR STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
Junior forward Blake Wilson and redshirt freshman Torgeir Fjaer are both in the top-30 in several statistical categories after this past weekend's victory over Georgia State.

Wilson is now atop the Sun Belt standings in shots (35) and shots per game (2.92) and is tied for tops in the league with eight goals scored. He is also second in the league in points (18) and points per contest (1.50). He is tied for 16^th in the nation with eight goals scored, tied for 21^st with 18 points and is 22^nd in all of NCAA Division I men's soccer with 1.50 points per game.

Fjaer, who has started the last seven games in goal for the Eagles, is currently tied for 13^th in the nation and second in the Sun Belt with 5.25 saves per game.

WILSON EARNS SECOND SUN BELT CONFERENCE WEEKLY HONOR OF THE SEASON
Georgia Southern men's soccer student-athlete Blake Wilson has earned his second weekly award of the season from the Sun Belt Conference office after leading the Eagles to a 3-1 victory over Georgia State this past Saturday. The junior forward was named the SBC Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week Tuesday morning.

Saturday's victory over the Panthers was the first in Atlanta for Georgia Southern since Sept. 17, 1994. It was the Eagles' third positive result in the last four games against the in-state rivals and allowed Georgia Southern to even things up with the Panthers in the Georgia Southern – Georgia State Rivalry Series.

Wilson scored twice in the second half to lift the Eagles to the crucial 3-1 win Saturday night. He got the scoring going for the Eagles in the 70^th minute when he accepted a long ball from goalkeeper Torgeir Fjaer and easily scored on an open net. After Emil Laursen scored the game-winner just over a minute later, Wilson tacked on another insurance goal in the 87^th minute to put the Eagles comfortably ahead. It was the third game this season that Wilson has scored multiple goals, all wins for GS and all on the road.

NEXT UP
The Eagles will next travel to Clinton, S.C. to take on the Blue Hose of Presbyterian College on Tuesday, Oct. 18 before returning home for a crucial Sun Belt Conference showdown with Hartwick on Saturday, Oct. 22. The game against the Blue Hose will kick off at 7 p.m.


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