NORFOLK, Va. — An early two-goal hole proved too much for Georgia State on Wednesday night, as the Panthers lost 2-1 to Old Dominion in a Sun Belt Conference men’s soccer match at the ODU Soccer Complex.
Old Dominion forward Jason Purks did all of the home side’s scoring before halftime. He struck in the seventh minute and again in the 20th, the second one standing up as the winner.
Georgia State answered before the break. Virgil Dall’Agnol, the team’s leading scorer, converted a penalty kick in the 40th minute after a foul on Damian Segura inside the box, and a short review confirmed the call.
The second half belonged mostly to the Monarchs, who outshot the Panthers 9-4 after intermission. Josmy Ngandola came closest to an equalizer for Georgia State in the 61st minute, but his attempt was saved. Brandon Graham took the Panthers’ last swing in the 89th minute and missed the target.
The night nearly started with a numbers edge for Georgia State. Inside the first minute, Old Dominion midfielder Matthew Moffatt was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle, and video review weighed whether it should be red before the referee let the yellow stand. Moffatt later set up the second Monarchs goal.
For the match, Old Dominion held a 16-7 edge in shots and a 7-3 edge in shots on goal. Jackson Burrell, a sophomore keeper, made five saves, while the Panthers were whistled for 21 fouls to 15 for the Monarchs.
The loss drops Georgia State to 1-4-1 in league play and 7-6-2 on the season. Old Dominion climbed to 10-4 and 2-4 and moved past the Panthers into eighth place in the conference standings.
Next up for Georgia State is a home date with Marshall, set for 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, on the Panthers’ own field, the GSU Soccer Complex. The Panthers have three regular-season matches left.
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