Durham, N.C.--The Georgia State men's soccer team dropped a narrow 1-0 match at No. 24 Duke Thursday night in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Championship.

The Panthers (13-8-1), under second-year head coach Brett Surrency, finish a historic season with their most wins in a season since 1986. GSU, playing in its first-ever NCAA Tournament match, created several scoring opportunities against the Blue Devils (11-7-3) but couldn't cash in to take an early lead.

Sophomores Evan Scott and Stephen McGill each had two shots to lead the team in the game. The duo combined on a beautiful give-and-go in the first three minutes that gave Scott a one-on-one chance against Duke junior goalkeeper James Belshaw. The forward drilled a shot that Belshaw fought off from eight yards out. A little later, Scott struck a ball on a sharp angle from the right side that Belshaw once again dove and batted away.

GSU played an even first half, going to the break tied at 0-0 before conceding a goal early in the second half. Junior goalkeeper Vincent Foermer was strong in net, making six saves including stopping a penalty kick taken by the opposing goalkeeper in the 26^th minute. Foermer dove to his left and got his hand down on the low drive by Belshaw.

Duke senior Christopher Tweed-Kent banged home the match's only goal when he collected a rebound off a shot from midfielder Sean Davis. Foermer stopped the initial shot, but the ball skipped to Tweed-Kent on the left side and the midfielder chipped it past the diving GSU goalkeeper.

GSU ratcheted up the pressure in the second half as McGill ripped a free kick that was blocked in the 55^th minute. McGill, a Second Team All-CAA selection this season, collected the rebound and sent in a cross to sophomore midfielder Jamal Keene. Keene, a Third Team All-CAA player, headed a ball on goal but the play was whistled offside. Junior midfielder Gimel Gordon rifled a shot off the outside of the net just less than a minute later.

Georgia State set numerous first this season and finished No. 36 in the RPI. The Panthers knocked off a ranked team at home for the first time in school history and are coming off their first trip to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament trip. The team also tied a school record with nine shutouts this season. Georgia State previously participated in NCAA play-in games in 2000 and 1997 but fell both times.

By allowing one goal, Foermer set the school record for goals against average in a season at 1.14. He shattered the previous mark of 1.38 set by Paul Gutierrez in 2004. The GSU defense held the nation's second-leading scorer in junior Andrew Wenger (42 points) scoreless for the match.

Duke held a 15-7 lead in shots while GSU had a 6-5 advantage in corner kicks for the match. The Blue Devils advance to face the undefeated and 10^th-seeded New Mexico Lobos (17-0-3) in the second round on Sunday.

Georgia State returns 10 starters next season from tonight's starting lineup. The Panthers look forward to the spring season in preparation for the 2012 season.

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