With an early record of 2-2, Georgia State’s women’s soccer team is fighting towards the competitive Sun Belt Conference.
They opened with a home loss before losing to the Mercer Bears on the road before picking up a 1-0 victory over the Tennessee-Chatanooga Mocs. Georgia State’s last two games saw them lose in Athens to the Georgia Bulldogs, but they shut out the Davidson Wildcats on Sunday 2-0 at home.
Georgia State Women’s Soccer head coach Ed Joyce continues to emphasize development when they face off against great competition on their journey to winning the Sun Belt.
“We have lots of competition around the field, which is great for development,” Joyce said. “We want to get better in training every day and push each other to reach our potential.”
As the Panthers’ season is already underway, the team is working hard to make this the best season possible. Conference play won’t begin until Sept. 16, which gives the Panthers time to grow together.
“We are focused on doing things the right way and executing our game plans,” Joyce said. “Conference season is right around the corner, and we want to make sure [that] we improve every day and every game.”
Iron sharpening is how teammates get better. Practicing on the field and having exemplary leadership in the locker room will lead to successful results on the pitch when it’s time for the Panthers to take the field.
“We thrive [in a] competition [setting]. Our players push each other to be better, and depth is a good thing to have,” Joyce said. “It’s important that we continue to grow together as a team.”
Growing as a team builds a winning culture among players and coaches that lead to a successful season. With faith, the players select their team’s captains and then rely on them extensively. They can trust one another and go through ups and downs as a team.
“The players selected their captains this season and chose Emily Burke, Maria Howell and Brisa Zavala,” Ed Joyce said. “We’re excited to go up against our non-conference opponents as we prepare for the Sun Belt schedule…we just need to focus on playing our style and executing well.”
With the Panthers, this week, coming off a hard-fought 2-0 win over the Davidson Wildcats, they are looking to continue building as a team and through stiff competition outside of the Sun Belt.
The Panthers have four more games, including three at home and on the road, before opening conference play on September 16th when they travel to Louisiana to face the Ragin’ Cajuns.
