STATESBORO - Three underclassmen found the back of the net on Saturday afternoon as Georgia Southern blanked Charleston Southern, 3-0, in its final exhibition contest of the 2022 preseason.

The Eagles scored twice in the first half as sophomore Smith Cathey opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a one-touch goal off of a through ball from redshirt sophomore Elis Nemtsov. Redshirt freshman Kyleigh Drew then curled in a shot from the right side of the box inside the far post exactly at the 44th minute to stake the Eagles to a 2-0 lead. Freshman Emma Armstrong and senior Karin Winka had assists on the Drew tally.

In the second half, freshman Bri Conley slotted home a cross from the left side by junior Simone Timm in the 70th minute for the final margin. The Eagles outshot the Buccaneers, 19-8, and freshmen Katie Oakley and Michaela Mikko combined on the shutout in net for Georgia Southern by making three saves collectively.

"I saw a lot of growth in us," Head Coach Chris Adams said about the match, in comparison to Tuesday's first exhibition contest at Auburn. "You've got to play at a faster tempo, and we were able to establish that over time. It took us a little while to settle in, but then eventually i felt like we got our foot on the gas, got momentum and had a good day."

The Eagles will open up the 2022 regular season campaign on Thursday, visiting the University of Georgia for a 6 p.m. showdown with the Bulldogs.