Eagles Notch Third Straight Win, Defeat Georgia State 2-1

Wednesday, October 11

Statesboro

6 PM

Georgia Southern University

8-5-0, 3-3-0

Georgia State

7-3-4, 3-2-1

Georgia St.

Ga. Southern

Photo by: AJ Henderson - Georgia Southern Athletics

10/11/2023 8:41:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Early goal from Simone Timm, late PK from Smith Cathey helps Georgia Southern even its Sun Belt record at 3-3

STATESBORO - Georgia Southern women's soccer captured its third straight match with a 2-1 Sun Belt Conference victory over visiting Georgia State on Wednesday evening at Eagle Field.

The Eagles evened their Sun Belt record to 3-3 with the victory and moved to 8-5 overall, while Georgia State fell to 3-2-1 in the league and 7-3-4 overall with the loss. Georgia Southern returns to action on Sunday, traveling to Southern Miss for a Sun Belt showdown with the Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Senior Simone Timm put the Eagles in front quickly with a goal in the eighth minute. A corner kick led to a flurry of shots by Georgia Southern, including one hit by sophomore Carley Borgelt. It took a deflection off of a Georgia State player in the box and caromed right to Timm, who hit the one-time strike past the keeper for a 1-0 lead.

The Eagles maintained the 1-0 advantage into the break, holding a slim 6-4 edge in shots at halftime.

In the second half, the shot totals ticked upward for both teams, but the Eagles would take advantage of a penalty kick to double their lead. Timm was fouled in the box by the Panthers' Gabby West in the 84th minute, and junior Smith Cathey would step to the spot and convert the penalty kick for the 2-0 advantage. It was the first penalty converted by the Eagles since Sept. 30, 2021, when both Elis Nemtsov and Marcela Montoya converted PKs in a 2-1 win over Troy.

Georgia State would answer quickly, however, as Alondra Nieves worked a give-and-go with Brooke Hart at the top of the box in the 86th minute, with Nieves scoring to pull the Panthers back to within one.

The Eagles would manage the final four minutes and change to prevent Georgia State from getting another shot and preserving the victory.

The shot totals finished up all square at 15-apiece. Quinn Wilson made three saves in net for the Eagles, while Jaddah Foos made three saves in net for the Panthers. Georgia State held a 10-7 edge in corner kicks, and the the Panthers were whistled for seven fouls and a pair of offsides, while the Eagles committed three fouls on the night.

"It was nice to hit on a set piece," Georgia Southern head women's soccer coach Chris Adams said of the Eagles' first goal following a corner kick. "We haven't hit on a lot of those this year. We went up 1-0 at home to protect our home turf, but we took our foot off the gas a little bit. It was nice to get that second goal, earn a PK and go up 2-0. I hate that we gave it back, but it's good to play in tight games like this and find a way to close them out. We earned a very important three points on a night where nobody else in the conference was playing, and I think that's the crucial part - continuing to climb the table and get points every chance you get."