Men's Soccer | 10/7/2016 11:00:00 AM

STATESBORO – The Georgia Southern men's soccer team opens the Sun Belt Conference portion of the 2016 schedule Saturday evening at in-state rival Georgia State. The Eagles and Panthers will tangle on the pitch in Atlanta at 7 p.m. in the 38^th meeting between the two programs.

One point is on the line for both institutions in the Georgia Southern-Georgia State Rivalry Series. For more information about the rivalry series, click HERE.

MATCH SNAPSHOT 
GS vs. Georgia State
Saturday, Oct. 8   |  7 p.m. EDT   |   GSU Soccer Field (Atlanta, Ga.)
Live Stats

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Georgia State currently owns a 22-9-6 record over Georgia Southern in men's soccer. Last season, the Panthers won the regular-season meeting 5-3 in Statesboro and the two teams recorded a draw in the SBC Tournament. The Panthers advanced 5-4 on penalty kicks (PKs) in that post-season match. The most recent Eagle win in the series came in 2014 when the Eagles claimed a 2-1 victory in Statesboro. The Eagles have not won in Atlanta since Sept. 17, 1994, also a 2-1 Eagle win. The Panthers' head coach, Brett Surrency, is 59-59-6 in his seven seasons at the helm of the program, including 7-5 this season. He is 4-1-1 in matches against Georgia Southern.

Georgia State enters the rivalry game Saturday with a 7-5 record, including 4-1 at home. The Panthers started the season 3-1, including a 1-0 loss on the road at Mercer in the first game of the season. Georgia State boasts overtime road wins over UNC Asheville and Duke. In their last home game, the Panthers fell 2-1 to the University of the Pacific.

The Panthers have out-scored their opponents 25-18, led by Hannes Burmeister's seven goals and Max Hemmings' five. Burmeister has appeared in 10 games, earning nine starts, but has a team-best 17 points. He is also second on the team with three assists. Hemmings is one of five Panthers to have started all 12 games this season, including Nick Hague, Liam Fitzsimmons, Alex Summerfield and goalie Yannic Horn. In goal, Horn has been the Panthers' lone goalkeeper on the year, logging over 1,116 minutes. He has made 43 saves compared to 18 goals surrendered and a 1.45 goals against average.

2016 Quick Facts
2016 GSU Roster
2016 GSU Schedule
2016 GSU Statistics

LAST TIME OUT
Despite falling behind early in the first half, the Georgia Southern men's soccer team shook off the slow start and battled back in the second half against a hard-fighting Campbell team. Despite finding an equalizer early in the second period, the Eagles stumbled down the stretch and gave up two late goals to the Camels, falling 4-2 at Eagle Field Tuesday night.

NEXT UP
The Eagles will have 12 days to rest and prepare for their Sun Belt Conference opener. GS will open the conference slate on the road at rival Georgia State on Saturday, Oct. 8. The Eagles and Panthers will kick off at 7 p.m. in Atlanta.


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