Men’s soccer eyeing CAA tournament

Georgia State's defense has been its strong suit as the Panthers shut out three consecutive opponents, including one in a win over NC State and top 25 ranked William & Mary. Georgia State ranks first in the conference in goals allowed per game and first in shutouts. Two of those shutouts came with redshirt freshman CJ Cochran in goal. Cochran replaced junior Vincent Foermer, who has been battling injury since mid-September. Last month, Foermer was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 20 College Players to Watch for the Colonial Athletic Association list. Meanwhile, Cochran was named the Colonial Athletic Association's Rookie of the Week for his performances, and he made three saves in the victory over NC State. In his freshman debut, Cochran made 10 saves to lead GSU to a 1-1 tie. Cochran is also the CAA leader in save percentage and third in saves per game. Scott Evans and Ayokunle Lumpkin are the offensive linchpins and lead the team in points, goals and assists.

Stephen McGill is establishing a reputation as the team's best closer after booting two game winning penalty kicks this season. The first came In the 85th minute when he smacked in a penalty kick against Mercer on Sept. 9. McGill buried his second game-winning goal against Hofstra on Oct. 1.

Most importantly, the Panthers remain undefeated at home. Despite losing a 1-0 thriller against Northeastern on Saturday, the men remain in great position for one of the top six spots in the conference. Defending CAA champion William & Mary sits atop the CAA standings, just ahead of second place James Madison and Delaware. Old Dominion(#21) and William & Mary(#22) are both ranked in the NCAA's top 25. Georgia State is nestled atop a five-way tie for fifth place in the conference. William & Mary is led by senior midfielder, Nicolas Abrigo who has scored six goals this season. Delaware's duo of Roberto Gimenez and Evans Frimpong are second and third in the conference with 12 goals between themselves. James Madison is second to Georgia State in goals allowed this season. They've allowed one more goal in three fewer games. Old Dominion ranks first in the conference with 2.78 goals per game. ODU junior forward Yannick Smith's 11 goals leads all CAA players. That's only five fewer than the entire Georgia State team. Men's soccer will return to Panthersville for a two-game stint starting on Wednesday Oct. 12, as they host UNC Wilmington, and then Drexel on the following Friday.