Georgia Southern men’s soccer went into a double overtime Saturday night against rival Georgia State, ending in a 1-1 tie.

Freshman midfielder Eirik Hoydal put the Eagles on the board during the first half with about 17 minutes left to play. The Eagles maintained more possession during this half and dominated the ball offensively.

Though there were a few missed shots, GS went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

“In the first half, I thought we had a good grip of it, and in the second half, they came more into the game,” said Head Coach John Murphy. “We have a very, very young team, and it does make a difference on how to deal with those key moments in the games.”

The second half was a little more difficult for the Eagles, with GSU having majority of possession during the rest of regulation. The Panthers scored a goal with 23 minutes left to play due to a brief moment of defensive confusion.

With another goal being scored by Hoydal in the second half, Coach Murphy thought that would be enough to put the team on top. The referee’s judgement to overturn the goal left the team and fans slightly frustrated.

”I was disappointed by the goal they disallowed,” Murphy said. “It’s difficult in a game where there’s not a lot of goals, when someone takes a goal off. It really is a big moment in the game.”

With this tie, the Eagles improve to 5-5-3, and 1-0-1 in conference play. The next game will be Oct. 27 against another rival: Appalachian State.

“It’s an internal thing with the coaching staff,” Murphy said. “We have to come up with some things that we need to address between now and App State.”

Kickoff against the Mountaineers is Saturday at 7 p.m. from Erk Park.

Amanda Arnold, The George-Anne Sports Candidate, gasports@georgiasouthern.edu