STATESBORO - Zachary Martin scored twice and Jack Ireland sealed the match with a goal in the 87' as the Eagles ended the exhibition slate of the schedule with a 3-2 victory over the Clayton State Lakers. Georgia Southern will turn its attention to a match-up with East Tennessee State on Aug. 24 in Johnson City, Tenn., to kick off the season.

The match got off to a slow start in the blistering heat of Eagle Field, as the Eagles onl;y had two shots and the Lakers tallied five, including a goal to take a 1-0 lead into the half. The Eagles did have three saves to the Lakers' two, and both squads had two corner kicks each.

In the 47', Martin scored his first goal of the game and his second goal of the preseason to knot the match up at one-all when the Eagles earned an advantage thanks to a penalty kick. In the 64', Martin pushed the Eagles ahead with a header in the top-right corner of the net, assisted by Mauro Gutierrez-Solis. The lead was short-lived as in the 66', the Lakers would earn its second goal thanks to a two-goal performance by Gonzalo LaChica. Both squads pushed and battled, but in the 87', Ireland pushed the game-winner through a vacated net and earned the 3-2 victory for Georgia Southern.

The Eagles would total five saves from Nate Martinez at the goal, helping seal the victory for GS. The Eagles totaled seven shots on the day while Clayton State had ten, with five of the Eagles' shots being shots-on-goal to CSU's seven. The Eagles only had one yellow card to the Lakers' two, and GS held a thin 52-48 advantage in possesion.

UP NEXT
The regular season opens with a road trip to Johnson City, Tenn., as the Eagles take on former SoCon foe ETSU on Aug. 24 with a 7 pm start time. Afterwards, Georgia Southern opens the home slate with a rematch against UNC Asheville on Sunday, Aug. 27.