Eagles Notch 1-0 Win at North Florida

Tuesday, September 13

Jacksonville, Fla.

7 PM

Georgia Southern University

1-4-0, 0-0-0

North Florida

0-5-0, 0-1-0

Ga. Southern

North Florida

Georgia Southern defender Alex Smith (30) during the NCAA menâ??s soccer match between Georgia Southern and Charlotte at Eagle Field at the Erk Russell Athletic Park on September 4, 2022 in Statesboro, Georgia. (Photograph by AJ Henderson / Georgia Southern Athletics)

Photo by: AJ Henderson / Georgia Southern

9/13/2022 9:04:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Alex Smith's goal in the 70' makes the difference on the road

By: Graham Cooper

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Georgia Southern men's soccer team earned its first win of the season with a 1-0 win over the North Florida Ospreys on Tuesday, September 13, in Jacksonville, Florida.

North Florida (0-5-0) and Georgia Southern (1-4-0) both traded shots in the first half, with neither team able to get a ball into the net. Dagoberto Romero had four saves in the first half alone, providing strong defense to keep the match at a 0-0 tie going into the half.

In the 70', Alex Smith's shot, assisted by Samuel Odame, got past the UNF goalie to score the lone goal of the match. The Eagles defense kept UNF in check for the final 20 minutes and held on for the first win of the 2022 season with a 1-0 victory.

"I'm pleased for the entire team," head coach John Murphy said. "I think when you have a young group that's trying to synergize and come together in a short amount of time, it's easier said than done. You're trying to find some results while you're trying to find the best version of yourself. I think our record has kind of been harsh on us, and I think there are a lot more positives that are under the surface."

"Sometimes you just have to break through and get your first win, then you get some confidence and further synergy, then we can push on, and I think that's what happened tonight."

"The back four built on the performance from the other day, I thought they stepped forward and took it to another step," Murphy continued. "Certainly for Alex Smith, when you lead the line and have a clean sheet, then score the winning goal in your hometown, coming back from three and a half years of injury, it's really a storybook ending."

Continuing, Murphy praised his goalkeeper, saying "I thought Dagoberto Romero was magnificent in goal, and the effort we had from the team and guys coming off the bench, such as Chase Winters and Manuel Prieto, they really put in big shifts tonight."

"We're going to enjoy it for a little bit, but we're going to use it as a platform to prepare for our first Sun Belt game this Saturday against a very good Old Dominion team."

UP NEXT
The Eagles will open Sun Belt Conference play against the Old Dominion Monarchs on Saturday, September 17. Kick-off from Eagle Field at Erk Russell Park is set for 7 PM.