Box Score LAWRENCEVILLE – After a strong showing in the first half on Saturday, the Georgia Gwinnett men's soccer team fell victim to a second-half comeback from SCAD Savannah as the Grizzlies dropped a 2-1 decision to the visiting Bees in the regular season home finale at Grizzly Soccer Complex.
"We had a good 30-40 minute spell in the first half, but we couldn't get a foothold in the game in the second," GGC head coach Steve DeCou said. "We couldn't hold onto the ball well enough, and credit to SCAD, they pressed us and caused us trouble."
With the loss, GGC falls to 8-5-3 on the year, while the Bees ended their 2015 season with an 8-8-2 record. The match was the fourth in the all-time series decided by just one goal, and it marked the first time that SCAD came away victorious.
The Grizzlies, who controlled much of the play in the opening half, broke through with a Matti Puranen free kick in the 16th minute, but the team proved unable to add to the goal tally as the game moved into the second half.
"There are still some positives that we can take away from this, especially in the first half," DeCou said. "We played well at times, but in key moments, we didn't play well enough. It's a consistency thing, and we've been saying that for a while now. We have to get more consistent before the conference tournament."
SCAD would equalize through Alejandro Rodriguez Gil in the 67th minute, and he'd go on to play a role in the eventual match-winner in the 81st, teeing up Elliot Lane for a diving header to make it 2-1.
The Grizzlies will return to action next weekend with a trip to Bob Jones (S.C.) before returning home for the Association of Independent Institutions Championship tournament, which will take place at Grizzly Soccer Complex from Nov. 11-14.
NOTES: GGC is 10-8-3 all-time vs. schools from the state of Georgia … GGC is now 3-1-1 all-time vs. SCAD Savannah, with a 2-1 record at Grizzly Soccer Complex … This weekend marked the second time the Bees have paid a visit to Lawrenceville on Senior Day. In 2013, Johan Sanchez struck for the winner early in the second overtime period to seal a 1-0 victory … The Grizzlies are 17-4-1 all-time in the month of October.
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