Spartanburg, S.C. --- The Georgia Southern men's soccer team defeated Wofford 1-0 on Thursday evening (August 28th) in a match where only one strike opf the ball made the difference for the Eagles.

It was clear from the first whistle that Georgia Southern wanted to establish themselves as the aggressors to start the match, which they were successful at doing. In the first 45 minutes, the Eagles racked up nine shots, and had six more than the terriers going into the locker room. Five shots from the Blue and White came before the 15-minute mark struck on the night, with two of them being saved by Wofford's keeper. 

The Eagles also flipped the narrative on corner kicks from their past few matches, as this time, they were the one leading in the category. Four were taken by the road squad in the first half to just one for the Terriers. However, despite the flurry of shots, no real chances were had in the first half.

Coming out of the locker room, the game plan stayed for the Eagles. Coach Lee Squires and his squad knew the talent on his roster and trusted that they would be able to get the job done, which they did. After only minimal chances throughout the first 20 minutes of the final period, their chance finally came.In the 65th minute, a through ball found a sprinting Thomas Helgheim on the right edge of the box. After finding space from his defender, Helgheim delivered a perfect pass to a cutting Emil Seedorff who delivered a low ball into the corner of the net to seal the win for Southern. It was a goal that was reminiscent of Seedorff's first career goal, but this time, the beauty of an assist was off of a different foot.

While the Eagles now had the lead, their chances would not stop there. The defense held strong against a pressing Terrier offense, but the eagles themselves had more chances in the final 15 minutes. In fact, Wofford's last shot of the night came at 75:13 on the match clock. With six minutes to go, a long ball found Ricky Louis with space and a chance to shoot. After a deflection in the box, it shot over perfectly to Zachary Martin, but he was unfortunately denied by the top woodwork to try and double their lead. Not even a minute later, Louis had a chance at a penalty kick, but he too was denied, this time from the Terrier keeper.

The result now sees Southern and the defense not allow a goal across 270 minutes and three straight matches to start the season. The three-match defensive showcase is the longest stretch since 2006 where the Eagles have not allowed a goal. It also is the first time in program history where the Eagles started a season with three straight shutouts. For keeper Nate Martinez, he would only need to make one save on the night but it was good for his eleventh clean sheet of his career. 

Next, the Eagles return home to take on Stetson, a team that Southern defeated on the road just a season ago. Kickoff at Bo Pitts Field is set for 7 PM this upcoming Tuesday night (September 2nd) as the Eagles celebrate Heritage Night in Statesboro.