STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern men's soccer team played to a 1-1 draw with visiting Georgia State on Saturday evening at Eagle Field, earning a key point in the Sun Belt Conference standings.

The Eagles (5-5-3, 1-0-1 SBC) remained unbeaten in the league standings, as did the Panthers (8-4-2, 1-0-2). Both teams also earned a 1/2 point in the 2018-19 edition of the Southern vs. State Rivalry Series, which now stands at 1 1/2-1/2 in favor of GS. Georgia Southern returns to action on Saturday, October 27th, hosting Appalachian State at 7 p.m. for Senior Night at Eagle Field.

Georgia Southern got on the board in the 28th minute as a ball crossed from the right side was played back towards the edge of the box by senior Javier Carbonell. Freshman Eirik Hoydal uncorked a shot that curled inside the upper left corner for his first collegiate goal and the 1-0 advantage. The Eagles would take that one-goal lead into the break, enjoying a 6-3 edge in shots.

Georgia State found the equalizer in the 67th minute as a service by Kyle Clinton from the left side of the field found the head of Aris Briggs, who headed the ball across his body and into the goal to make the score 1-1. 

The Eagles looked to have climbed back in front just a minute later as a corner kick from freshman Samuel Mayer was headed in by sophomore Gonzalo Talavera, but a foul in the box on Georgia Southern nullified the goal. Regulation would finish at 1-1 with the Eagles holding a slim 13-12 edge in shots.

Each team had chances in overtime. Max Hemmings and Matthew Fearnley had shots go wide in the first overtime period for Georgia State, while Aldair Cortes' free kick with just over a minute left in the second overtime was saved by Georgia State goalkeeper Paul Tyson.

"It was a well-fought match," Georgia Southern Head Coach John Murphy said. "Georgia State is a good team. Obviously we have a rivalry that goes beyond the field, that's important for both schools and so you're going to get everybody's best effort. With that in mind, I think we kindof neutralized each other. In the first half, I thought we had a good grip of it. In the second half, I think they came more into the game. We need to do a better job of using the ball and possessing it when we're up. I was disappointed in the goal that they disallowed. I trust the referee, he gave me an explanation at the end of regulation. I'll accept it, but it's difficult in a game where there's not a lot of goals, to have one taken away, it's really a big moment in the game.

"We'll move on, we have a week to recover. We're still undefeated in the conference and we'll prepare for Appalachian State and Senior Night on Saturday."

Georgia Southern finished the match with a 16-15 edge in shots. Freshman Jokull Blaengsson made four saves for the Eagles, while Tyson finished with three saves for the Panthers. Georgia State had eight corner kicks while Georgia Southern had six. The Panthers were offsides five times on the night and were whistled for 16 fouls, compared to 15 for the Eagles.