The Georgia Southern Eagles claimed their first conference victory of the season Saturday as they beat Howard 2-1.

The game was at a deadlock at 0-0 for the majority of the first half, but the Eagles were the first to strike as sophomore forward Edward Raji found the back of the net for the first time in his collegiate career in the 41^st minute of the half.

The Bison answered and rallied back early in the second half, scoring in the 47^th minute, but the Eagles battled back and reclaimed the lead as sophomore defender Gonzalo Talavera scored his first goal of the season in the 55^th minute of play.

The Bison fought again for the equalizer, but the Eagles were able to hold them for the remaining of the game. Overall the Eagles had the edge over Howard 13-10 and freshman goalkeeper Jokull Blaengsson collected five saves from the match.

“We’re pleased to open up league play with an important result,” Georgia Southern Head Men’s Soccer Coach John Murphy said to gseagles.com. “The performance matched a winning effort. I think we’ve responded well since last Saturday’s match at Mercer and showed growth as a group. I told the team that as we progress, there’s going to be valleys, you just have to work through them.”

The Eagles, now undefeated in conference play, will travel again to take on No. 6 Louisville in Kentucky on Tuesday.

Kaitlin Sells, The George-Anne Assistant Sports Editor, gasports@georgiasouthern.edu