No 21-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College broke through the scoring column in the 82nd minute in defeating the University of the Cumberlands 1-0 in the 2017 men's soccer season opener. The match was part of Union College's Thomas Trammell Memorial Classic on Friday night.

Freshman Krishna Clarke drilled a shot from the middle of the pitch into the upper left corner of the goal. He entered the match 10 minutes earlier and proceeded to score the unassisted goal.

"To hit a strike like Krishna did is big time. They were sitting back for most of the match so to score a goal is massive and shows the competitive spirit this team has," said Head Coach Steve DeCou. "We kept forcing them to work defensively. As we swung the ball around it was opening up space like Krishna found for a shot."

The Grizzlies controlled the action with a 10-2 shot advantage. They attempted all five corner kicks during the 90 minutes of action.

Neither of the Cumberlands' two shots were on goal due to GGC's stingy defensive effort in the shutout.

Turning Point

            Ten minutes after entering the match, GGC freshman Krishna Clarke made his presence known as an offensive factor with two shots within a two-minute span. The second strike came from the middle of the pitch and curved into the upper left corner of the goal for the only tally of the match.        

Goals

82' – Georgia Gwinnett Krishna Clark (unassisted)

Inside The Numbers

• Krishna Clarke scored the first goal of his collegiate career.
• The Grizzlies controlled the action, attempting 10 of the 12 shots in the match.
• Jack Gurr and Clarke each led the Grizzlies with two shots.
• Five of GGC's 10 shots were on goal, while Cumberlands did not have a shot on target in the match.

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 5-0-1 in season-opening matches.
• The Grizzlies are 1-0-1 against Cumberlands in the series history between the two programs. The two teams battled to a scoreless draw last season in Lawrenceville.
• GGC opens the 2017 season by playing its first four matches on the road.

Up Next

GGC battles No. 15-ranked Union on Saturday, Aug. 26 at 6 p.m. Both teams won on Friday with Union defeating Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.) 3-0.

"It always is good to start the season off with a win. We will regroup and face a good Union team tomorrow," said DeCou.