Saturday, Oct. 25 was a date many Georgia State fans circled on their calendars after that date was determined to be the one Panthers would face off on the gridiron against in-state and in-conference rival Georgia Southern.
The State-Southern rivalry had already existed prior to the Eagles’ move into the Sun Belt Conference but had been significantly heightened with Georgia State and Georgia Southern occupying the same conference.
The two schools had already battled earlier prior to them taking to the football field with the Panthers prevailing in the most recent contests.
Friday, Dec. 20, 2013–Men’s basketball: Georgia State wins 73–61
During the early portions of the winter break, the men’s basketball team faced off against the Eagles in the Sports Arena. The Panthers were victorious over Georgia Southern by a final of 73-61. Manny Atkins scored 23 points along with 12 rebounds for what was his first double-double of the season. Ryan Harrow also added 22 points. R.J. Hunter chipped in with 16 points while Devonta White finished the game with 10 assists.
It was the second consecutive victory for the Panthers as the team would eventually win 14 consecutive games.
Wednesday, Oct. 8–Volleyball: Georgia State wins 3–1
The two schools did battle for the first time in 2014 not on the football field, but on the volleyball court. Prior to this game, Georgia State was winless at the Sports Arena for the season in Sally Polhamus’ first year as head coach. Before a large crowd at the Sports Arena and after splitting the first two sets, the Panthers prevailed in the last two sets to earn a 3-1 victory over the Eagles.
Junior outside hitter Deidra Bohannon finished the match with 22 kills, 12 digs and a .300 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Eliza Zachary was second on the team in the kills category with 14. Kitan Ajanaku also contributed 10 kills and scored 12 points.
Sunday, Oct. 12–Women’s Soccer: Georgia State wins 2–0
A pair of Sundays ago, the Georgia State-Georgia Southern rivalry extended to the soccer pitch with the women’s soccer team facing off against the Eagles from the Soccer Complex. The Panthers defeated the Eagles by a final of 2-0 with a couple of first-half goals from senior forward Whitney Ravan. She connected with the back of the net first in the 11th minute and again in the 21st minute as Georgia State was able to maintain the two-goal advantage throughout the remainder of the match.
The victory increased the Panthers’ overall record to 5-6-1 on the season as well as to 3-1-1 against their Sun Belt Conference rivals.
Georgia State–Georgia Southern schedule
Here are other days on the schedule that will see the Panthers and Eagles face each other:
Volleyball:
Georgia State at Georgia Southern: Nov. 1 at Statesboro, Ga. at 2 p.m.
Men’s Tennis:
At Georgia Southern Invite from Nov. 7-9 at Statesboro, Ga. (times TBA)
Georgia Southern at Georgia State: Apr. 10 at Piedmont Park at 3:30 p.m.
Men’s Soccer:
Georgia Southern at Georgia State: Nov. 8 at the Soccer Complex at 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball:
Georgia State at Georgia Southern: Feb. 5 at Statesboro, Ga. at 5 p.m.
Georgia Southern at Georgia State: March 7 at Sports Arena at noon (Senior Day)
Men’s Basketball:
Georgia State at Georgia Southern: Feb. 5 at Statesboro, Ga. at 7:30 p.m.
Georgia Southern at Georgia State: March 7 at Sports Arena at 2 p.m. (Senior Day)
Women’s Tennis:
Georgia Southern at Georgia State: April 2 at Piedmont Park at 1 p.m.
Softball:
Georgia State at Georgia Southern: May 1-2 at Statesboro, Georgia (doubleheader on Saturday)
May 1 – 6 p.m.
May 2 – 1 p.m.
May 2 – 3 p.m.
Baseball:
Georgia Southern at Georgia State: May 14-16 at the Georgia State Baseball Complex
May 14 – 6 p.m.
May 15 – 6 p.m.
May 16 – 2 p.m.
