Alpharetta Goalie Holds NC State Scoreless in GSU Men's Soccer

Raleigh, N.C.—Freshman C.J. Cochran held NC State scoreless as sophomore midfielder Jamal Keene buried the match’s lone goal in the 11th minute to lead the men’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory at NC State Tuesday night.

The win was Georgia State’s (6-2-2) first ever victory over NC State (3-4-2) in three tries and was its first win over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since travelling to No. 6 Clemson and upsetting the Tigers 2-1 on Sept. 5, 2001. Keene, a sophomore transfer student, scored his first goal in a GSU uniform and became the eighth player to score a goal for GSU this season.

Keene teamed with classmate Stephen McGill on a give-and-go from just outside the 18-yard box to spring the early chance for GSU. Keene buried the shot to put the Panthers up 1-0 in the 11th minute. It was just the third of GSU’s 14 goals this season put away in the first half. It was also McGill’s first assist as a member of the Panthers.

Freshman C.J. Cochran made three saves in net and led the defense to its fourth shutout this season and the second of his career. The Panthers withstood a flurry of shots just after Keene buried their goal in the first half. Cochran made two saves in just more than a minute beginning at the 28:37-mark to keep the Wolfpack scoreless.

The Wolfpack held the edge in shots (9-6) and corner kicks (6-4) for the match played at Dail Soccer Field. NC State, like Georgia State, was looking to rebound from a loss before conference play resumed this weekend.

Georgia State returns to Colonial Athletic Association play on Saturday when it hosts Hofstra. Saturday’s match was changed from a 3 p.m. start time to begin at 1 p.m. Also, GSU will hold “Kicks for the Cure” on Saturday to benefit The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. All fans are asked to wear pink for the match and the first 150 fans will receive a free pink T-shirt.

Visit the men’s soccer page on www.GeorgiaStateSports.com throughout the week for a preview and more details of Saturday’s match.

Story courtesty of Randy Lieberman, graduate assistant-Sports Communications, .