Early Second Half Strike Pushes Troy to Draw Against Georgia State

Friday, October 2

Troy, Ala.

7 p.m.

Troy University

0-3-1, 0-3-1

Georgia State

3-1-1, 2-1-1

Georgia St.

Troy

Early Second Half Strike Pushes Troy to Draw Against Georgia State

10/2/2020 11:10:00 PM | Soccer

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. -- The Troy women's soccer team, behind a 47^th minute strike from junior Kate Eubanks, battled the Georgia State Panthers to a 1-1 draw Friday night at the Troy Soccer Complex.

With the positive result, Troy (0-3-1, 0-3-1 Sun Belt Conference) earned its first Sun Belt Conference point of the season and extended its home unbeaten streak to nine consecutive matches.

The lone Trojan strike was a familiar sight, as Alisa Detlefsen found her favorite target Kate Eubanks in the middle of the Georgia State box (3-1-1, 2-0-1 Sun Belt). Eubanks, as she's done multiple times as a Trojan, headed a ball past the opposing keeper.

The goal was Eubanks second goal of the season, and her fifth career strike. In net, Lindsey LaRoche recorded a career-best 10 saves.

Following a defensive oriented first half that featured five LaRoche saves and no goals from either side, the Trojans started the second half very strong, earning a corner kick just under two minutes into the half.

On the ensuing corner kick, Detlefsen found Eubanks for the second time this season. The goal snapped a two-match scoreless streak for the Trojans that spanned over 200 minutes.

Following three more LaRoche saves, the Panthers finally struck in the 70^th minute when Gracen Crosby took a pass from Emily Burke and lifted a rainbow strike from 30-yards that just eluded LaRoche.

Down the stretch, neither Troy nor Georgia State were able to manufacture a good chance, as the match went into overtime.

In the first overtime period, Georgia State has the best opportunity when Jimena Cabrero ripped a shot in the 18' box that LaRoche flashed across her line to make a sprawling save on.

After neither side was able to generate a strong chance in the first overtime period, the two teams went to another 10-minute overtime period.

In the final overtime period, the best scoring chance came in the final 10 seconds of the game, when Taytum Terrell made a late run into the Panthers box. On the run, Terrell was contacted by a GSU defender in the box, but the referee ruled that time has expired before the foul.

The Trojans continue the five-match homestand on Sunday when Georgia Southern visits the Troy Soccer Complex. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.

GED TALKS:
"Tonight, was a great game for our fans, who have waited a long time to watch us at home. I'm sure, now that the game is over, that our girls are able to look back and say they enjoyed the experience. We're such a young team, and I thought they did a great job of showing growth throughout the match. We have so many girls who are still learning the American game and I think that showed at times tonight. This was a great experience for our team. It's always good to remain undefeated at home. We had moments where we felt we should have won it, as I'm sure they did too. But now we turn the page to a huge game Sunday. We've had a tendency to score off set pieces because we're tall and very physical in the air. Overall we need to get more out of open play, and our forwards need to hopefully find the back of the net."

Defender Evie Anderson:
"For a lot of us tonight was our first home game, which was special. We were a bit disappointed to come close and not get the win tonight, but we did well as a team. There were certainly a lot of positives throughout the game for us and we learned a lot. Every game we're continuing to get better and better. Hopefully after the game today we've learned more and will be able to get a win on Sunday. Tonight, we possessed the ball really well, but we also played as a complete unit, which is the most important thing sometimes. Every player worked hard tonight."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• The Trojans two goals this season have come off corner kicks.
• LaRoche's 10 saves are most by a Troy keeper since Acelya Aydogmus also recorded 10 saves against Georgia State (Sept. 30) back in 2018.
• The Trojans have now recorded a positive result in nine consecutive home games dating back to the 2019 season opener.
• Regielly Halldorsdottir earned her first career start as a Trojan.
• The victory snaps Troy's four-match losing streak dating back to the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.