Box Score DeKALB, Ill. – The No. 21-ranked West Virginia University men's soccer team fell to Georgia State, 1-0, in the MAC Championship Semifinal on Thursday afternoon in DeKalb, Illinois.
 
The No.2-seed Mountaineers tallied eight shots in the setback, hitting the post in the first half and the crossbar late in the second. GSU, seeded third in the tournament, found the back of the net in the 76th minute, which proved to be the difference on a chilly, windy day at the NIU Soccer & Track and Field Complex.
 
"It felt like a little bit of a synopsis of how the season has played out when things don't go our way," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "We failed to convert some very, very good chances in the first half and then late, and their goal was one we should've done better on. But the game can be cruel. My hope is that our guys are a little sick of not getting the results that we deserve based on the quality of our performances."
 
WVU (11-3-4) nearly opened the contest in a big way in the 11th minute when redshirt sophomore defender Bjarne Thiesen was left unmarked on the back post. But his header attempt banged off the woodwork, keeping the match scoreless.
 
In the 43rd minute, redshirt sophomore defender Sergio Ors Navarro had a good look at goal, but his shot attempt from distance sailed high. In all, WVU held a 4-3 advantage in shots in the first half.
 
Following halftime, fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky was challenged but stepped up to make three key saves. The first came in the 52nd minute before the Raymore, Missouri, native needed a to make a diving effort to save a Panther chance in the 60th.
 
Tekesky also secured a 71st-minute save before Georgia State (12-5) found its breakthrough in the 76th minute to take a 1-0 lead.
 
From there, the Mountaineers almost leveled the score in the 82nd with a great effort from freshman defender Frederik Jorgensen, who smacked the crossbar with his attempt inside the box. That marked the squad's last major scoring opportunity of the day.
 
Sophomore midfielder Ryan Crooks led West Virginia with three shots in the loss, including one on goal. Thiesen also registered a pair of shot attempts.
 
With the result, WVU fell to 2-1 all-time against the Panthers, including 1-1 this season. It also moved to 3-7 in MAC Championship play since joining the league in 2012.
 
"We've got some strides to still make," Stratford said. "I know this group is good enough. I'm not sure we've played a team yet that we can truly say they were better than us, so the guys just have to come back really strong next week and believe that we can still make a really deep run in the NCAA Tournament."
 
Despite the loss, Tekesky made his 80th career appearance for the Mountaineers on Thursday, which tied the program record for a goalkeeper, set by Zach Johnson in 2010.
 
Next up, West Virginia awaits its NCAA Tournament fate with the men's soccer selection show on Monday at 1 p.m. ET, on NCAA.com.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.