Box Score LAWRENCEVILLE – A pair of second-half goals ruined the return home for the Georgia Gwinnett men's soccer team on Saturday afternoon as the 15th-ranked Grizzlies fell 2-1 to visiting Martin Methodist (Tenn.) at Grizzly Soccer Complex.
"We have to get better, and we can't keep giving teams opportunities after we take a lead," GGC head coach Steve DeCou said. "We can do some very nice things on the pitch, but we make mistakes and let teams come back on us. We have to improve."
With the loss, GGC dropped to 5-3-3 on the year, and MMC improved to 6-4.
The match couldn't have started any better for the Green and Gray, as Jon Conner opened the scoring inside the first minute of play. The Grizzlies drove up the left flank before Samuel Sampaio Gomes and Matti Puranen worked the ball to the sophomore out of Loganville for his third goal in four matches.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, the RedHawks spent much of the second half on the front foot, eventually breaking through in the 65th as Jack McCarren directed a Jonathan Remond cross into the back of the net. Remond would also be involved in the match-winner, teeing up Stephen Carroll off a corner kick in the 89th to hand GGC its third loss of the year.
The Grizzlies were outshot 17-8 in the match, and GGC goalkeeper Lewis Sharpe finished with three saves, including a pair of point-blank stops in the second half.
GGC will return to action in two weeks with a trip to Bryan College on Oct. 10.
NOTES: GGC is now 11-1 all-time vs. teams that hail from the state of Tennessee and 5-2 all-time following a draw … Jon Conner has registered a goal or an assist in four successive matches … The Grizzlies are 17-8-4 all-time in the month of September.
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