Georgia Southern women’s soccer needed a response.
The Eagles delivered one.
After dropping their previous match at Georgia State, Georgia Southern returned home Sunday and put together a convincing 4-1 victory over Coastal Carolina at Bo Pitts Field.
The win moves the Eagles to 7-2-2 overall and 2-1 in Sun Belt play, while four different players found the back of the net.
Even more encouraging, two of those goals represented first collegiate goals for Georgia Southern players Emma Chapman and Lauren Connelly.
For head coach Chris Adams, the biggest takeaway wasn’t simply the final score.
It was how his team responded.
Georgia Southern Builds an Early Lead
The Eagles started on the front foot.
Georgia Southern opened the scoring in the 21st minute when Caitlin Conroy sent a ball into the box from the left side.
Addison Comer got a touch in front of the goalkeeper and redirected the ball toward Kaitlin Cook, who finished the close-range opportunity for her second goal of the season.
The early lead reflected Georgia Southern’s control.
But Coastal Carolina didn’t take long to answer.
Less than five minutes later, Sammy Schulze delivered a cross from the right side of the box that found Olivia Goretski, who headed the ball past Quinn Wilson to make it 1-1.
That could have changed the momentum.
Instead, Georgia Southern responded again.
Anna Braziunas Puts the Eagles Back in Front
With halftime approaching, first-year forward Anna Braziunas gave Georgia Southern another lead.
In the 40th minute, Braziunas connected with a cross from fifth-year Kendall Wilson, heading the ball into the net to put the Eagles ahead 2-1.
It was an important goal for more than just the scoreboard.
Georgia Southern entered halftime with an 8-3 advantage in shots, meaning the Eagles had created the majority of the attacking opportunities but still needed to make them count.
They did.
And Adams knew the next goal could be decisive.
Two First Collegiate Goals Finish the Job
Georgia Southern came out of halftime with exactly the response its coaching staff wanted.
In the 51st minute, Emma Chapman got onto a ball played into the box by Comer and finished the chance.
For Chapman, it was the first collegiate goal of her career.
The goal pushed the Eagles’ lead to 3-1 and gave them the breathing room they had been looking for.
Adams had specifically challenged his team at halftime to find a third goal.
Once it arrived, Georgia Southern never looked back.
Then came another milestone.
In the 80th minute, Lauren Connelly was brought down inside the box by Coastal Carolina’s Silje Nilsen.
Connelly stepped up for the penalty and calmly converted.
It was her first collegiate goal, completing the scoring at 4-1.
Two players.
Two first collegiate goals.
And a comfortable Georgia Southern victory.
The Numbers Back Up the Result
The final score was convincing, but Georgia Southern’s overall performance backed it up.
The Eagles finished with a 15-12 advantage in shots and held a 5-4 edge in corner kicks.
Goalkeeper Quinn Wilson was also busy, making seven saves to preserve Georgia Southern’s three-goal advantage.
The Eagles weren’t simply efficient in front of goal.
They also had to deal with consistent pressure from Coastal Carolina, particularly after the Chanticleers pulled within one early in the match.
That makes the second-half response even more important.
Georgia Southern didn’t allow the game to become uncomfortable.
It took control.
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This was an important bounce-back result for Georgia Southern.
The Eagles had just lost at Georgia State, and Adams admitted there was a familiar feeling early in Sunday’s match — Georgia Southern was controlling possession and creating chances without necessarily getting enough from them.
This time, however, the Eagles found the goals.
They scored twice in the first half, added two more after the break and responded immediately after Coastal Carolina’s equalizer.
Most importantly, Georgia Southern created the separation it needed.
The 3-1 goal from Chapman gave the Eagles the margin Adams wanted, and Connelly’s penalty effectively ended any remaining doubt.
At 7-2-2 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt, Georgia Southern is positioning itself for an important stretch of conference play.
ASN Take
This is the kind of response Georgia Southern needed.
Losing to a conference rival can create some frustration, particularly when a team feels like it didn’t get the result its performance deserved.
The Eagles didn’t carry that frustration into Sunday.
They came out attacking, created chances and, most importantly, finished them.
The two first collegiate goals are also worth watching.
Chapman and Connelly weren’t simply padding the scoreline late in a comfortable game. Their goals helped turn a 2-1 match into a 4-1 result and gave both players an important personal milestone.
That’s the kind of depth a team needs over a long conference season.
Georgia Southern also got another strong performance from Wilson in goal, while the attacking group produced four goals from four different players.
That’s a pretty complete afternoon.
The next challenge will be taking that performance on the road.
A Chance to Build Momentum
The Eagles now have an opportunity to turn Sunday’s victory into something bigger.
Georgia Southern travels to Marshall for its next Sun Belt contest on Sunday, Oct. 4.
The Thundering Herd will present a different challenge on the road, but Georgia Southern enters the matchup with momentum after putting four goals on the board and getting important contributions throughout the lineup.
For Chapman and Connelly, it will also be another opportunity to build on their first collegiate goals.
For the Eagles as a whole, it’s about continuing to collect conference points.
Up Next
Georgia Southern travels to Marshall on Sunday, Oct. 4, for a 1 p.m. ET Sun Belt Conference matchup.
The Eagles enter the match at 7-2-2 overall and 2-1 in Sun Belt play.
After Sunday’s 4-1 victory, Georgia Southern will look to carry its momentum into another important conference test.
Eagle Nation Supporting Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern is also continuing to invest in the long-term success of its student-athletes through the Eagle Victory Plan.
The initiative includes five giving avenues:
- Capital/Facility Project Funds
- Competitive Excellence Fund
- Eagle Nation Fund
- Erk Russell Fund
- Sport-Specific Agency Fund
Georgia Southern says the funds are designed to provide direct support to athletic programs and student-athletes, including revenue-sharing models and NIL support structures.
For programs like women’s soccer, that broader investment can help provide resources and opportunities as the Eagles compete at the conference and national levels.
Related Atlanta Soccer News Stories
- Georgia Southern’s Broden Beorlegui Earns Sun Belt Player of the Week After Two-Goal Performance
- Atlanta Soccer News: Georgia Southern Soccer Coverage
- Atlanta Soccer News: Georgia Women’s Soccer Coverage
Georgia Southern has plenty of season left, and Sunday’s performance showed the Eagles have plenty of contributors ready to make an impact.
What stood out most from Georgia Southern’s 4-1 win — the four-goal attack, the two first collegiate goals, or the Eagles’ response after the Georgia State loss? Let us know in the comments and share this story with another Georgia soccer fan.
Author: Quique Lopez
Quique Lopez doesn’t just cover soccer—he deconstructs it with the precision of a veteran and the wit of a storyteller. A former player who sees the pitch as both a tactical chessboard and a cultural stage, Quique balances sharp critiques with a genuine love for the game’s soul. He’s as quick to call out the ego of a superstar as he is to find the hidden beauty in a local derby.