Men’s soccer within inches of history in first Sun Belt season
Men’s soccer within inches of history in first Sun Belt season
December 4, 2014
The Georgia Southern University Men’s Soccer team wrapped up their season as first runner up in the Sunbelt Tournament on Nov. 16. The Eagles were 8-9 overall this season.
The Eagles kicked off the 2014 Season with the SoCon Big South Challenge and, much like last year, the team defeated Gardner-Webb 2-1 and lost to Winthrop 1-3. Following those games, the Eagles took on the Mercer Bears at home. Again, the match was almost identical to the game between these two teams last year with GSU losing to MU.
After the loss to Mercer, the Eagles went on a three-game winning streak. In the Marriott Springhill Suites Invitational, GSU defeated Florida Atlantic University (5-4) and UNC Asheville (3-0). The next week, the Eagles traveled to Clinton, S.C. where they defeated Presbyterian College in a 5-0 shutout.
The Eagles winning streak ended abruptly when they traveled to Florida for three away games. They lost against Jacksonville University (0-3), #22 South Florida (0-3), and Stetson University (2-5).
In October, the Eagles played were Sun Belt Conference games against Hartwick, Howard and Appalachian State. GSU won against Hartwick (2-0) and App State (1-0), but lost to Howard (1-2). Following that stretch, the Eagles took on the University of North Carolina and were defeated 2-6.
Leading up to the Sun Belt Tournament, the Eagles defeated the New Jersey Institute of Technology 1-0 and lost to Georgia State University 0-1.
In the Sun Belt Tournament, which was played at Eagle Field, Georgia Southern defeated Georgia State 2-1. In the final round of the tournament, GSU lost the tournament to Hartwick College 0-1.
Though the season ended on a disappointing note, several players stood out through the season; freshman Thor Svienbjornsson was named Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. He was the first Eagle to be named this since 2006. Goalkeeper Jack Falle also held his own on the field this year; he was the first GSU keeper to earn all-conference honors since 2006, as well. Falle now ranks 6th nationally with 5.87 saves per game. Overall, ten Eagles were named to the Sun Belt Conference First Team All-Conference.
