Just 24 hours after drawing against the Cumberlands (Ky.), the Georgia Gwinnett men's soccer team bounced back into the win column on Sunday evening, defeating NCAA Division III foe Oglethorpe (Ga.) 3-0 to pick up its ninth shutout and ninth victory of the 2016 season.

"Tonight was a great response to the tough draw last night," stated GGC head coach Steve DeCou.  "I'm proud of the boys and the way they bounced back.  We picked up another clean sheet as we continue to do a great job with our collective defending.  Great effort by Matti Puranen tonight as he landed two very good goals.  As a coach, tonight was a good effort as everyone was able to play, and the younger guys were able to gain valuable experience."

Georgia Gwinnett (9-3-3) struck first in the 10th minute to take the 1-0 lead on Jack Gurr's fifth goal of the season.  Gurr received a cross from Pierre Semudenge Mujene and dribbled through the box between two OU defenders before placing a swift strike to the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

The Grizzlies held Oglethorpe (6-5-3) scoreless in the first half of play, allowing just three shots by the Stormy Petrels in the opening frame.

GGC pushed its advantage to 2-0 in the 51st minute when senior Matti Puranen netted his first of two goals on the evening.  His first goal came from a deflection off the Oglethorpe keeper.  Puranen settled the bouncing ball, ripping a one-timer into the back of the net. 



Twenty-five minutes later, Puranen scored again, scoring GGC's third and final goal of the match.  Junior Aedan Radvanyi lifted a through ball from midfield to Callum Lees who one-touched the pass to Puranen for the wide-open, right-footed blast past the Stormy Petrels' goalkeeper.

The Green and Gray have now won six of its last seven matches and have not suffered a loss since September 17's 4-3 result against West Virginia Tech.

Senior goalkeeper Lewis Sharpe eclipsed the 1,400 minutes mark for the season in the contest, tallying two saves in the victory.

Georgia Gwinnett is back in action Monday, October 31 when the Grizzlies travel to Henderson, Tenn., to face Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.).  The match will take place at the Josh Riley Soccer Complex. First touch is set for 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Game day coverage against Freed-Hardeman: 
Live Statistics
Live Video

Scoring Summary
09:43 – (GGC) Jack Gurr, assisted by Pierre Semudenge Mujene
50:54 – (GGC) Matti Puranen (unassisted)
75:35 – (GGC) Matti Puranen, assisted by Callum Lees and Aedan Radvanyi

By the Numbers
2 – Number of saves made by GGC goalkeeper Lewis Sharpe
7 – Shots landing on goal for GGC
9 – Days until the Grizzlies face Freed-Hardeman
9 – Shutouts this season for the Grizzlies
12 – Number of shots taken by the Grizzlies
19 – Combined shots taken in the match by GGC and Oglethorpe

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