Box Score LAWRENCEVILLE – It took just 24 seconds for the Grizzlies to open the scoring on Sunday afternoon, and that proved to be a sign of more to come as the Georgia Gwinnett women's soccer team ran past Milligan in 5-0 fashion at Grizzly Soccer Complex.
In a match that was just as lopsided as the final score suggests, the Grizzlies (3-2) found the back of the net three times inside of the match's opening 16 minutes to completely take control of the affair. Bristol Countess converted a penalty to kick off the rout, and it only got worse from there for the Buffaloes (1-3). Melissa Lay doubled the deficit in the 14th, and Mary Vernetti followed up two minutes later with another off a Countess pass to make it 3-0.
"We started off doing absolutely what we talked about doing before the match," GGC head coach Chris Kouns said. "We wanted to come out early and put a lot of pressure on them and quickly transition into the attack. As a result, we scored three goals, and Milligan really didn't cross into our half. We need to do better about maintaining that kind of pressure because that's what we will need to do to play well against some of the other teams on the rest of our schedule."
Countess' goal now stands as the quickest in school history, and she made a bit more history as she became just the second player in the GGC record books to score in four consecutive games. Previously, Mary Vernetti accomplished the feat, netting five times over the first four matches of the 2012 campaign, which was the first women's soccer season in school history.
"I set a personal goal for myself before we started the year of trying to get a goal or an assist in every game," Countess revealed. "So far, I've been able to do that, and a lot of credit for that goes to the team. I can't really do it without them, and they've played a huge role in helping me reach that goal through the first five matches."
Vernetti's tally to close out the early flurry was the 28th goal of her career, which is a school record. It marked her second of the season, and she now holds a six-goal edge on teammate Nikki LeFevre, who ranks second on the all-time list.
It would be another quick start for the Grizzlies after the half as well as Countess combined with Lina Blomqvist to set up a Lauren Moss goal after just 27 seconds, and Milligan goalkeeper Charlotte Stephens completed the scoring output for GGC, mishandling a Countess corner kick for an own goal.
The Grizzlies would finish the match with 25 shots to Milligan's 3, putting an impressive 10 on frame.
GGC is now 3-0 in home matches this season. However, it will be a while before the Green and Gray return to Lawrenceville for a match as they will kick off a four-match road swing with a trip to Middle Georgia on Friday.
NOTES: GGC has never lost three consecutive matches, moving to a perfect 5-0 record after back-to-back defeats … The Grizzlies now own a perfect 2-0 record vs. Milligan and a 6-0 mark against schools that hail from the state of Tennessee … GGC has outscored opponents from the Volunteer State by a 36-3 margin … Mary Vernetti's four-game scoring streak saw her put five goals past Tennessee Temple, Northwood, Brenau and Bluefield … Prior to Bristol Countess' tally on Sunday, the quickest goal in school history was scored by former Grizzly Natalie Leone 87 seconds into a win over Virginia Intermont … Kelsey Griswold, a senior defender, has played in all 60 matches in school history … GGC is 13-11-1 all-time in the month of September.
