Eagle Nation,

I pray this note finds you and your family safe and healthy. 

It was a great feeling being back at Paulson Stadium this past Saturday. Our game against Gardner-Webb was the first home game that I've attended with no seating restrictions. Seeing RVs pull into our parking lots toward the end of last week reminded me of Coach Erk Russell's famous quote that "our weekends begin on Thursday!" I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with many of you in your tailgates and inside Paulson. We have the best gameday environment in the country, and I want to thank each of you for your continued support! Let's "Pack Paulson" for our next home game on Sept. 25 as we take on Louisiana in our Sun Belt opener. 

A significant initiative of ours this offseason was enhancing the gameday experience. And while there are several things to improve on from game one, overall, I was pleased with the introduction and execution of these initiatives. I caught myself several times looking over at the hill slide in the southwest corner of the stadium. I'm sure for many of you, this new feature brought back memories of your childhood as you watched your children slide down the hill. 

Please send any-and-all feedback to us as we continue to conduct our after-action reports and surveys for each home game. Also, if you were unable to attend Saturday's home opener, please reference the link below for more information on "What's New at Paulson Stadium This Fall."

What's New at Paulson Stadium This Fall - Georgia Southern University Athletics (gseagles.com)

In other action, the volleyball squad opened the season with three wins at Hanner Fieldhouse. Coach Chad Willis and his staff enter their third season with a lot of optimism, having displayed continued growth over the past two seasons. Georgia Southern Volleyball is back in action this Friday with a doubleheader at Hanner. The first match is slated for 11 a.m. against Murray State with a nightcap against FIU at 6 p.m. 

Women's soccer got off to a good start with a three-match winning streak as well. The Chris Adams-led team has shown considerable growth in several areas already this year. The team's next match is this Friday at 4 p.m. against Stetson at Eagle Field. 

Men's soccer is off to a 2-2 start with big wins against Presbyterian and Wofford, the last of which notched the 300th win for the program. It was also win number 100 for Coach John Murphy! On Friday, North Florida comes to Statesboro for a match at 7 p.m. to cap off a doubleheader for our soccer programs.

In closing, in order for Georgia Southern to reach its desired goals, I will continue to strategically highlight three (3) things that individuals and companies can do to help us:
 

1. Buy season tickets and create a home-field advantage
2. Financially support the Athletic Foundation and the Erk Russell Fund
3. Get others to do the same!

Our Athletic Ticket Office is ready to assist you in purchasing tickets and can be reached at 1-800-GSU-WINS or via email at tickets@georgiasouthern.edu. For those wishing to donate, please go to: Give.GSEagles.com.

Our best days are ahead, and I look forward to an exciting 2022!

Jared Benko
Georgia Southern Director of Athletics