It was a disappointing time at the Gray Griffin Memorial Tournament this weekend for Georgia State men’s soccer, falling 2-0 to the College of Charleston in their opener, and 5-0 to Furman. The leaves the Panthers with a 0-3-0 record after their first three games.
The tournament began for Georgia State with a match against the College of Charleston Cougars, which was defined by the heroics of both goalkeepers. Both recorded 3 saves in the first 22 minutes, with CJ Cochran in top-drawer form.
In the 23rd minute, Charleston found the back of the net after Tucker Coons headed home from a corner. The game at halftime saw Charleston with a 1-0 lead and a slight advantage in the run of play.
The action continued in the second half, with Cochran coming up big with three saves. The Panthers almost found the equalizer in the 64th minute, but Aaron Jones’ shot was just a bit too high, rising and hitting the top of the crossbar.
In the 76th minute, Charleston effectively killed off the game with a goal coming off another corner. Georgia State tried to pull themselves into the game, but could not create a scoring chance of any value. The game ended at 2-0, with CJ Cochran recording 8 saves.
The Panthers sought to get back on track in the tournament in their next match against Furman, but were shown a humiliating 5-0 defeat. The game’s scoring began early, with the Paladins finding the back of the net in the 15th minute with a well worked corner. After a furious opening, the half died down with neither team taking any shots after the 23rd minute.
From a 1-0 deficit at the half, the second 45 minutes saw the Panthers give up 4 goals to a rampant Furman side. Goals came in the 56th, 57th, 68th, and 79th minutes. Despite recording 10 shots during the game, the Panthers had only one shot on target. Goalkeeper CJ Cochran put in another fine performance in goal despite the scoreline, recording five saves.
The team will hope to shake off the disappointment of the tournament in time for their home opener this Saturday, Sept. 13. They will be facing North Florida in Panthersville at the Soccer Complex.
