Box Score LAWRENCEVILLE – Sometimes the biggest moment in a match can come seemingly from nothing, and that's exactly what happened on Sunday afternoon as a Bristol Countess goal five minutes into overtime sealed a 2-1 victory for the Georgia Gwinnett women's soccer team over visiting SCAD Savannah at Grizzly Soccer Complex.
Initially, the ball appeared to be rolling slowly out of bounds for a SCAD goal kick, but in an instant, Grizzly freshman Amanda Yarger sprinted onto it and fired a quick cross to Countess, who connected with the game-winning volley. The strike sent the Grizzly sideline into elation as the team completed a comeback and moved to 2-0 for the first time since 2013. It also marked the third assist of the season for Yarger.
"It would've been easy to check out on that ball and let it roll out, and sticking with it is completely to Amanda's credit," GGC Coach Chris Kouns said. "She didn't give up on it, and that's one of the reasons she's gotten so much playing time this weekend. What's most impressive to me is that she didn't just chase it down, she turned and sent the ball into right where we talk about. It's a great thing to see from a freshman."
"Part of the evolution of this team will be learning what it takes to be great," Kouns continued. "I think we still have a lot to work on, but I'm extremely proud of the heart and fight that it took to come back from 1-0 down. I'm really proud of the focus it took to come out and finish off the match in overtime. That said, this is just mile marker two in a marathon."
After playing through a constant downpour over a scoreless opening 45 minutes, both teams looked more threatening in the second half, beginning with an Alyssa Rodemsky header off of a corner kick in the 56th minute to hand GGC its first deficit of the season.
The lead would only last for 13 minutes for the visiting Bees (2-2-1) as Mary Vernetti uncorked a stunning strike from distance to even things up in the 69th. Vernetti, a senior, entered this season as the program's all-time leading scorer with 26 goals, but Sunday's strike might've been her most unlikely tally as she's been utilized in a more defensive role this season along the Grizzly back line.
GGC would begin to turn up the pressure over the final 20 minutes of regulation, very nearly taking home the victory inside what would've been the match's final minute. Tiffany Rodriguez directed a shot that appeared to be heading into the goal before an unfortunate late deflection off of teammate Nikki LeFevre extended the match into overtime.
"After we almost won in regulation, I was so excited to see Bristol score so quickly in overtime," Rodriguez said. "I think this was a good weekend for us, but we still aren't there yet. As the season goes on, we will get there mentally and physically, and I think we'll be able to peak at the right time. We showed a lot of heart today, and now we have to get ready for next week."
GGC will now prepare for its first road trip of the season, setting out for Florida for matches against third-ranked Keiser and St. Thomas next weekend.
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