The Georgia Gwinnett women's soccer team suffered its fifth loss of the season on Saturday afternoon as the Grizzlies were edged by seventh-ranked Mobile (Ala.) 2-0.

"If there is a textbook definition of a 'moral victory,' I believe this would be it," stated GGC head coach Chris Kouns. "From last year to this year, we made major strides forward in not just playing, but competing with Top 5 ranked teams in the country.  Last year, Mobile walked all over us, but tonight we stood our ground and fought back.  I could not be more proud of the fight and effort we put into this match and its outcome."

Mobile (7-2-1) jumped out to the 1-0 lead in the 19th minute when the Rams scored on a set play from a corner kick.  Mobile's Tyler-Rae Molloy lifted the entry pass through the front side of the box, allowing Cayla Hebert to head the ball at point-blank range into the net.

Thirteen minutes later, the Rams tallied their second and final goal of the contest on a long ball by Molloy.  The Ram lifted a shot from 35 yards out that was punched into the net by GGC's starting goalkeeper Sophie Hoare.



Kouns spoke about his squad's play, "I felt that our game plan to choke off their service through the midfield was very successful this evening and caused them some problems.  It was fun to see the ladies take on a very potent side and eliminate their strength, which is playing through the middle.  At the same time, it was also great to see the backline come together and witness the leadership in goal from Courtney Hicks in the second half.  With Stina [Andersson] out for her fourth game due in-a-row due to injury, it makes us very thin in the center back position, but to Bristol's [Countess] and Ellinor's [Bertilsson] credit, they held the line."

Hicks tallied a game-high five saves in just 45 minutes of play in goal as the Grizzlies shutout Mobile in the second half.

Kouns concluded, "The challenge on Monday is going to be: can we put this behind us and move past the moral victory portion of the schedule?  We need a win, and we need the team to rise up and do it together.  If we do, then we will put ourselves right where we want to be heading into the home stretch of the season."

Georgia Gwinnett is back in action on Monday when the Grizzlies travel to Beckley, W.Va., to face WVU Tech.  First touch at the Paul Cline Memorial Park Soccer Complex is set for 4:00 p.m.

Scoring Summary
18:09 – (Mobile) Cayla Hebert, assisted by Tyler-Rae Molloy
31:55 – (Mobile) Tyler-Rae Molloy (unassisted)

By the Numbers
4 – Shots landing on goal for GGC
5 – Saves made by GGC goalkeeper Courtney Hicks
6 – Days until the Grizzlies face (RV) Georgetown (Ky.)
12 – Number of shots taken by the Grizzlies
31 – Combined shots taken in the match by GGC and Mobile

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