Box Score Sept. 9, 2014
Box Score
LAWRENCEVILLE – It was a dominating performance on Tuesday night as the Georgia Gwinnett College men’s soccer team smashed home goals on either side of halftime to pick up a 2-0 home-opening win over Truett-McConnell College at Grizzly Soccer Complex.
“It’s always nice to get a win, especially at home,” GGC Head Coach Steve DeCou said. “You want to put on a good show for the fans, and they probably enjoyed it today because we were able to control the ball and dominate the stats. From a coaching perspective though, we have a lot of stuff that we need to work on.”
The Grizzlies (3-1) spent the majority of the night on the front foot, finishing the night with 29 shots, including nine on target and forcing TMC goalkeeper Michael Forrester into seven saves.
After a few early chances went wide, GGC was able to turn the screw in the opening stanza’s final 15 minutes. Much of the work came from the substitute junior duo of Ibrahima Sissoko and Martin Lugo. The latter of which was involved in the game’s first real scoring opportunity, sending a header just wide. Moments later, he’d play the role of facilitator on another chance, setting up Sissoko for a shot that clanged off the post. The combination finally paid off with just under four minutes remaining in the half as Ruud Grol chased down a ball along the sideline in his own half, finding Sissoko, who threaded a ball across the box to Lugo for the game’s first score.
“We really liked what we saw from Sissoko and Lugo tonight,” DeCou said. “They gave us a lot off the bench in that first half, so that’s why we went with them longer into the second. We’re still so young and we started 10 underclassmen tonight, but with the way Truett packed it in tonight, we needed to do well with our movement, and they did an excellent job.”
The goal was Lugo’s second of the season, with Grol earning his first assist and Sissoko his second.
GGC finished the first half with 11 shots, but there would be even more one-way traffic in the second as the Grizzlies come out of the break to take 18 more, which included Sissoko hitting the post yet again. The game would be put out of reach for the Bears (1-2) in the 64th minute when Rasmus Holmqvist took control of the ball in the attacking third and laid it off for Pierre Semudenge-Mujene, who would return the favor to set up Holmqvist’s first career goal for the Grizzlies.
Defensively, GGC wasn’t tested much over the course of the game, surrendering just two shots. Goalkeeper Lewis Sharpe picked up a save to earn his second shutout of the young season.
The Grizzlies will return to action later this week with a match against Tennessee Temple on Saturday. Kickoff at the Grizzly Soccer Complex is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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