Senior Jack Gurr found the back of the net early in the second half as the Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team earned an impressive 1-0 victory at No. 15-ranked Union College on Saturday. The No. 21-ranked Grizzlies won both matches to open the 2017 season at Union's Thomas Trammel Memorial Classic.

Gurr drilled a shot from 20 yards away in the 55th minute to cap a successfully executed set piece. Sophomore Sagi Hirsch took a free kick on the right side and passed the ball to Gurr at the top of the 18-yard box. The senior midfielder found open space and got the shot past the Union defenders and into the upper right corner of the goal.

Gurr tallied nine goals last season and registered his first 2017 goal on Saturday.

"Sagi played it quickly and found Jack at the top of the box. With Jack's shooting ability he is always a threat with space," stated Head Coach Steve DeCou about the goal.

The Grizzlies dominated the action in the second half, taking 11 of the 12 shots between the two teams in the period. Overall, GGC held an 18-6 shot advantage with Gurr's five shots leading the way.

 "We really turned it up a level in the second half. I'm proud of the effort. We accomplished what we came up here to do by getting two wins," said DeCou. "To beat a ranked team of their field is a major win for us. Hopefully, this is the first of many signature wins this season."

Saturday marked the fifth Top 25 victory for the Grizzlies over the last four seasons.

GGC has opened the season with consecutive shutouts and has allowed just two shots on goal in the two matches. Freshman Matija Gligorovic earned the shutout on Saturday after sophomore Riley Wildeman was in goal for Friday's 1-0 triumph against the University of the Cumberlands.

"We have senior leaders who have played at a high level. Two 1-0 victories show we have a mentality to grind out a match," said DeCou on the team's defensive performance over the weekend.

Turning Point

Ten minutes into the second half, the Grizzlies were awarded a free kick following a foul on the right side of the pitch and just outside the 18-yard box. GGC took advantage of the set piece as sophomore Sagi Hirsch found Gurr 20 yards away from goal. The senior fired a one-timer over Union's wall of defenders and into the upper right corner of the goal.

Goals

55' – Georgia Gwinnett Jack Gurr (Sagi Hirsch)

Inside The Numbers

• GGC dominated the statistics of the match with an 18-6 advantage in shots, including an 11-1 edge during the second half.
• Jack Gurr led the Grizzlies with five shot attempts.
• The Grizzlies defense has opened the 2017 season with a pair of shutouts and allowed only two shots on goal in the 180 minutes.

News & Notes

• GGC is 5-5-3 vs. Top 25 opponents over the last four seasons.
• Both GGC matches at the Thomas Trammel Memorial Classic were decided by 1-0 margins.
• Union was the first of five nationally ranked opponents the Grizzlies will face during the 2017 season.
• Freshman Matija Gligorovic earned the shutout on Saturday after sophomore Riley Wildeman was in goal for the shutout against Cumberlands on Friday.

Up Next

GGC travels to Florida for a pair of matches next weekend. The Grizzlies face Southeastern University on Sept. 2 at 2:30 p.m. from Lakeland. Then, the team battles Keiser University on Sept. 4 at 2:30 p.m. also from Lakeland.