First CAA Tournament berth

Men's Soccer was picked to finish 12th in the 12-team CAA this season. On Wednesday they will play their first match ever in the CAA tournament, having secured the sixth seed.

        The Panthers' first matchup will come against  third-seeded William & Mary, a team that Georgia State bested 1-0 at home earlier in the season. Georgia State is leading the CAA in almost all defensive statistics this season including goals allowed (.74), goals against average (.73) and shutouts (9).

      William & Mary are a close second in most defensive categories, but they are next-to-last in almost all offensive statistics. This bodes well for Georgia State, but the matchup isn't exactly on a neutral field as William & Mary is only 180 miles from host James Madison.

      If Georgia State can get on the board early, they can nurse a lead with their suffocating defense, but if they get behind, the Tribe's defense has proven that they can be just as effective.

In the regular season win, it took a moment of brilliance from junior forward Gimel Gordon, as he got a clever flick on a pass and darted past defenders down the sideline. Gordon cut inside toward the goal and rifled a shot inside the near post to give Georgia State the game winning goal.

          Georgia State's forwards will have to play their best game of the season to over come the Tribe in the tournament and advance to the next round.  The tournament berth marks the first time the Panthers have made a tournament appearance since 2004, and it's the first time they've made the CAA tournament.

         Head coach Brett Surrency led a remarkable turnaround from the team's 8-8-4 record last season. Surrency's team finished 12-6-1 this sea- son and 6-5 in conference play. Though the overall theme has been a smothering defense, the team has proven they can also attack the opposition. Sophomore forward Evan Scott leads the team with seven goals, three of which came in a come-from-behind hat trick against Drexel at home.

      When the Panthers found them- selves down against offensive powerhouse Old Dominion 2-0, they fought back to push the game into over time. They went on to lose 3-2, but when push comes to shove, Georgia State has what it takes to come back against the competition.

The Panthers went 7-1 at home this season, losing only to top-seeded James Madison 1-0.