What you need to know:
* The Panthers announced their 19 game fall schedule Thursday.
* GSU will host 10 matches, including rival Georgia Southern.
* Georgia State returns 15 veterans and welcomes nine newcomers.
ATLANTA- Georgia State women's soccer head coach Ed Joyce announced its 2016 schedule Thursday afternoon. Highlighting the 19-match schedule is an early season match against in-state foe Kennesaw State and a late season home game against rival Georgia Southern.
“We are really happy to have a balanced non-conference slate to begin our 2016 schedule,” Joyce said. “We feel this will prepare us well for the rigor of the Sun Belt Conference.”
The Panthers open the season with two exhibition matches, one away and one at home. Georgia State will travel to Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 9, before heading back to Panthersville on Aug. 14, for its final exhibition match against Austin Peay.
The season opener for GSU will be on Aug. 19, against Alabama State, who the Panthers will host at home. An early week game at Kennesaw State marks the team's first road game, with the Georgia State traveling just outside the city to Kennesaw on Aug. 22.
The team will host the next three matches, the longest home-stand of the season. Charlotte comes to Atlanta on Aug. 26 before Jacksonville State arrives for a mid-week game on Aug. 30. Opening up September on 2nd, the Panthers will host Alabama A&M before a four game road-stretch.
GSU heads to Bowling Green, Ky., for a Sunday game against Western Kentucky on Sept. 4, then will travel to Hammond, La., the following weekend to face SE Louisiana on Sept. 11.
The Panthers open Sun Belt Conference play in Lafayette, La., on Sept. 16 against UL Lafayette, and head to Texas State on Sept. 18. The first home conference game will be against new Sun Belt foe Coastal Carolina on Sept. 23.
Georgia State heads to Boone, N.C., to play Appalachian State on Sept. 25 before wrapping September at home against Troy on Sept. 30.
The first two October games will be in Panthersville, with GSU hosting rival Georgia Southern on Oct. 7 and UL Monroe on Oct. 9. The Panthers will be on the road for two of the final three regular season matches, travelling to Arkansas to face Little Rock on Oct. 14 and Arkansas State on Oct. 16.
The final home match for the team will be on Friday Oct. 21, where the Panthers will host reigning Sun Belt Champion South Alabama for Senior Day.
The Sun Belt Championship will be hosted by the Sun Belt in Foley, Ala., at the Foley Sports Complex from Nov. 2-6, this year
Georgia State returns 15 veterans from last year's team that went 4-4-1 in conference play and advanced to the final round of the Sun Belt tournament after a 4-2 shootout against No. 2 seed Troy. The team looks to improve on an overall record of 11-6-4 under the new leadership of first year head coach Ed Joyce and advance to the NCAA Women's College Cup for the first time since 1997.
