Scott brings Panthers back with hat trick

         Scoring a goal in the beautiful game is a beautiful thing indeed. Find the back of the net and, at least for a moment, you're on top of the world. Find it again, and you've earned yourself a few drinks from your mates down at the pub. If ye be so bold as to pierce the ol' onion bag a third time, then you've earned yourself a hat and rightly so.

        That is precisely what Evan Scott did for the men's soccer team on Sunday, a feat that had not been done at Georgia State since Brian Boerlster did it back in 1997. "Just getting one, to be honest, but to get three and a hat trick is pretty special and doesn't happen too often," head coach Brett Surrency said. Ayokunle Lumpkin opened the scoring for the Panthers just 2:33 into the game when he caught a free header and sent it past Drexel's goalkeeper.

      Not to be outdone, the Dragons equalized just moments later, as Ken Tribbett connected on a header from a free kick. The second half started 1-1, and the Dragons were quick to get on the board just six minutes in, as Malcolm LeBourne dribbled into the box from the right sight and fired low and inside. Two goals were the most the Panthers allowed all season, and they weren't keen on letting another one by.

         In the 61st minute, Scott was subbed in and bagged the first of his trio as he headed in a cross from freshman Bo Stroup into the left side of the net. Things would remain level until the 85th minute, when Scott scored twice in 20 seconds. At 84:12 it was déjà vu, as an identical cross came in from junior Eric Lawrence, and Scott was on point again. Nineteen seconds later, the forward in form received a through ball from junior Gordon Gimel and fired a perfect shot just past the keeper to the far corner.

    "It was amazing," the sophomore forward said. "We were down 2-1, and coach already told me I need to make an impact when I got in the game, so 30 seconds later I did." The Panthers closed out the final five minutes, securing a 4-2 record

in the conference and distancing themselves from the pack, as they now sit alone at fourth place in the table.

     The last time Georgia State had 10 wins in a season was more than a decade ago when then coach Kerem Daser led the team to a 12-9 season and a Trans America Athletic Conference championship. If these Panthers hope to replicate that type of success in the CAA, then they'll have to deal with the likes of No. 17 Old Dominion this Wednesday. The Monarchs are 9-2 overall and 5-1 in conference, and are riding a five-game win streak. ODU junior forward Yannick Smith is a goal scoring machine, and leads the CAA with 13 goals on the season.

    Their second leading goal scorer, sophomore Tim Hopkinson, has seven goals and four assists on the season. Both Smith and Hopkinson have earned National Player of the Week accolades this season and will be looking to defend their turf as the Panthers travel to Norfolk, Va. Georgia State's response to ODU's rampant scoring will be to bring in arguably the CAA's best defense and goalkeeper. Over 14 games, the Panthers have allowed the least goals in the conference, have the best goals-against average at .63, are tied for the most shut outs and are tied for second in most saves. "It's gonna be a battle for us, no doubt," Surrency said. "They're a nationally ranked team for a reason... We're confident in what we can do, and we're going there to win a game."

    Come Wednesday, the Panthers will have to be extra stingy against the Monarchs' conference leading attackers, and Scott and the other forwards will need to make an impact yet again.