Atlanta, Ga. --- The Georgia Southern men's soccer team (13-3-1, 6-3-0) defeated Georgia State (4-7-6, 2-4-3) by a 3-1 margin, thanks to an offensive surge in the second half.

The first half was controlled by the Panthers, as a slow start from the Eagles allowed State to catch the Southern defense off guard, scoring off a set piece in just the tenth minute. While Southern led in shots in the half 6-5, the Eagles did not give up a corner kick in the opening 45 while taking three of their own. 

After the halftime break, the switch was completely flipped. After missing on early chances, it was a breakthrough from Manuel Flores in the 56th minute that caused a spark for the Eagles. A cross in from Flores went just off his path was actually a break for the away squad, misguiding the keeper and falling into the side netting for Flores' first goal as an Eagle. It was Flores' eighth appearance of the year, and arguably scored the biggest goal of the season.

Nine minutes later, another Eagle would record their first goal of the season. Mitch Picksley intercepted a pass in midfield, making a run down the sideline. After beating a defender, he would ground a shot through the legs of the goalie to get his first goal of 2025 after 22 shots. The finish was also to take the lead, and one that the Eagles never looked back on. 

With just seven minutes remaining in the contest, Ricky Louis would draw another foul inside the box, but it would be him that would take the penalty. After missing his two chances from the spot in 2025, Louis would avenge his demons and sink the PK, making it a two-goal advantage with just minutes remaining. Keeper Nate Martinez made his two saves on the night in the second half, allowing the Panthers to just three total shots in the final 45. 

The Eagles took 18 shots of their own, with eight of them on target. Although 25 fouls were called on the night, the Eagles had the 5-2 advantage in corner kicks. The three goals in the final 45 were the most since October 4th, 2024 against Coastal Carolina.

With the regular season in the books, the Eagles secured their seeding in the Sun Belt Tournament. Southern finished as the fourth seed in the standings, and will face UCF at 7 PM on Sunday (November 9th) in Lexington as part of Kentucky's side of the bracket.