Box Score GREENVILLE, S.C. – Samuel Sampaio Gomes' return to the pitch was a triumphant one on Friday night as the sophomore netted his first goal in nearly a month to lead the Georgia Gwinnett men's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Bob Jones (S.C.) at Alumni Stadium.
Sampaio Gomes, a native of Aachen, Germany, hadn't played since Oct. 10, and Friday provided just the kind of performance that head coach Steve DeCou was looking for heading into next week's Association of Independent Institutions tournament.
"Sammy gave us a great spark off the bench tonight," DeCou said. "It was big to get him back, as well as Pierre [Semudenge Mujene], because both of them will be important for us next week. Overall, it was a very good performance from everybody and another clean sheet. That's two in the last three matches, and I'm pleased with where we are right now."
The A.I.I. Championships will begin next Wednesday at Grizzly Soccer Complex.
With the win, GGC moved to 9-5-3 on the season. The Green and Gray are now a startling 9-0-1 all-time following a loss, which includes a 4-0-1 mark this year.
BJU dropped to 10-6.
After each side failed to score in the game's opening half, Martin Toribio provided the opener in the 51st minute, notching his fifth goal of the season, which is tied for the team lead.
Sampaio Gomes would put the game out of reach 14 minutes later, latching on to an Andreas Ytterstrom through ball to make it 2-0.
GGC will return to action on Nov. 11 as the team is set to open up play in the A.I.I. tournament against York at 1 p.m.
NOTES: GGC is 4-0 all-time vs. schools from the state of South Carolina, with each win coming over Bob Jones … Friday was the third consecutive match that the Grizzlies have participated in a Senior Day match. On Oct. 27, the Grizzlies earned a 1-0 win at Tennessee Wesleyan before falling 2-1 to SCAD Savannah last weekend … Former Grizzly Tom Butler has 28 career goals, and both German Rodriguez and Ibrahima Sissoko rank first all-time in assists with 19. Martin Lugo trails by just two in both categories … The Grizzlies are 9-2 all-time in the month of November.
###
