Box Score MACON – Matt Redgrave was involved in the first two goals and John O'Connor netted the winner in his return from injury as the No. 13 Georgia Gwinnett men's soccer team rallied for a 3-2 victory over Middle Georgia at Cassidy Field on Friday night.
"We had a great response to equalize before the half, and our second half performance was much better," GGC head coach Steve DeCou said. "We played well, and hopefully this is the start of good things before we hit the road to play William Carey on Monday."
The Grizzlies (5-2-2) wasted little time in getting things started in the match, as Redgrave fired in a cross to Jon Conner for the opening tally in the seventh minute. Conner, who scored the equalizer in Tuesday's 4-4 draw against Auburn-Montgomery, now has a pair of goals on the season.
However, the Knights (3-6) mounted a quick response through leading scorer Rasmus Arousell, who leveled the match in the 20th minute and followed up less than three minutes later with another to put the Grizzlies behind.
Fortunately for the Green and Gray, Redgrave once again proved his aerial superiority this season, heading in a Matti Puranen corner kick in the 27th minute for his fifth goal of the year. All five have come as a result of set piece situations, including four from headers.
"Matt comes from a very good background and he's a leader for us," DeCou said. "His ability to play in different spots is an asset, and tonight, we needed him to play out to the left instead of at centerback. He's versatile, he plays well, and he communicates well. We need him to keep doing what he's doing and have other guys raise their levels."
In the second half, the Grizzlies began to turn up the pressure, culminating with O'Connor's match winner in the 59th. Martin Lugo, who ranks third all-time in assists for GGC, sent in a cross to the Irishman for his first helper of the year and 16th of his career.
"John tweaked his hamstring up in Goshen earlier this season, and it was unfortunate because he was starting to come into his own," DeCou said. "From talking with John, he used the games that he missed as a way to see things from a different perspective. He's come back in better shape and with a better understanding of what we're trying to do. He did a good job tonight."
GGC will return to action on Monday with a trip to Hattiesburg, Miss., to take on William Carey. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
NOTES: GGC has now scored eight goals this season from set pieces … Martin Lugo trails former Grizzlies Ibrahima Sissoko and German Rodriguez on the all-time assist list … Both players had 19 for their career … GGC is 10-6-3 all-time vs. opponents that hail from the state of Georgia and 17-7-3 in the month of September.
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