STATESBORO - The Georgia Southern men's soccer team came away from a match against the South Carolina Gamecocks with a 1-1 draw Wednesday night at Eagle Field. The draw is the third draw in the series against the Gamecocks, and ties the Eagles for eighth in the conference standings.

Georgia Southern (1-7-6, 0-3-3 SBC) and South Carolina (4-6-3, 2-2-3 SBC) both came out aggressive in the first half of play, with the Gamecocks registering eight shots and the Eagles compiling four shots. Georgia Southern's Nate Martinez compiled three saves in the first half with the Gamecock keeper earning two of his own.

In the second half, Ty Wilson broke the scoreless contest with a shot from the right side of the box, past the keeper and into the left corner, setting the Eagles up with a 1-0 lead in the 64th minute. The Gamecocks responded in the 71st minute with the equalizer, which would be the last goal of the night, setting the conference opponents up with a 1-1 draw.

The Eagles ended the night with nine shots, with five being on goal. The Eagles earned five saves to SCAR's four saves, but compiled more fouls at 15 to 12. 

With the tie, Georgia Southern ties Kentucky and James Madison for eighth place in the conference with three points each. The Dukes and Wildcats have already faced off, ending in a draw, but the Eagles are yet to face the two. Georgia Southern will take on James Madison on Oct. 27 in Harrisonburg, Va., and then take on Kentucky at home to end the regular season on Oct. 31. The Sun Belt Conference Championship takes the top eight teams in the conference, with the bottom two missing postseason play. 

UP NEXT
Georgia Southern begins the final road stretch of the regular season, heading up to the Commonwealth of Virginia to take on the Old Dominion Monarchs on Sunday, Oct. 22, before returning north to take on James Madison on Friday, Oct. 27.