The postseason begins for the Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team with a match against Waldorf University (Iowa) in the semifinals of the 2018 Association of Independent Institutions soccer championship tournament on Friday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m. at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

GGC is hosting the A.I.I. Soccer Championships for the second consecutive season and the third time in the last four years.

The Grizzlies, the tournament's No. 2 seed, are riding a five-match winning streak to stand 9-5-1 on the season. The team received votes in the final NAIA Top 25 regular-season poll.

During these winning ways GGC has outscored the opposition by a 20-to-4 margin. Seventeen of those 20 goals have come in the second half of matches.

Friday's semifinal contest is a rematch of last year's championship match, won 2-0 by Waldorf at GGC. The Grizzlies captured the 2016 A.I.I. title in Denver, Colo.

Waldorf, the No. 3 seed, stands 8-8-1 on the season and is 6-2 over its last eight matches. Both of the setbacks came to Bellevue University (Neb.), the tournament's No. 1 seed and NAIA's No. 6-ranked team.

Friday's winner will advance to the championship match Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. against the winner of No. 1-seeded Bellevue and No. 4-seeded Talladega College (Ala.).

Before the four teams hit the field, the A.I.I. will present honors for players' regular-season performances, including Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, during a pre-tournament banquet Thursday, Nov. 8, at GGC.  All-conference and Champions of Character teams also will be announced, along with Coach of the Year.

Admission to the tournament will be $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens, military personnel with identification and children more than five years of age. GGC students, faculty and staff with a valid Claw Card receive free admission. Also, children under five years old receive free admission. Grizzly Season Passes will not be honored for postseason play.

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MEET THE COACHES
Georgia Gwinnett College: Steve DeCou is in his seventh season leading the Grizzlies. He has compiled an 88-29-13 record in Lawrenceville and has guided the program to four NAIA national tournament appearances. GGC has won three Association of Independent Institutions tournament titles under DeCou. He was named the 2017 A.I.I. Coach of the Year. Overall, DeCou has posted a 208-120-28 career record in 18 seasons.
Waldorf: Edgar Gonzaga is in his second season guiding the Warriors. He has posted a 17-16-5 record, and led Waldorf to the 2017 A.I.I. championship and NAIA tournament appearance.
Bellevue: Mark Heath-Preston is in his third season leading the Bruins, compiling a 36-13-6 record. He has led Bellevue to a No. 6 national ranking this season. The team is unbeaten over its last 23 matches.
Talladega: Jeanfaud Jean is in his first season at Talladega, guiding the Tornadoes to a 9-5 record. This marks Talladega's first A.I.I. soccer conference tournament appearance.
 
MOMENTUM
Georgia Gwinnett College enters the postseason on a five-match winning streak. The Grizzlies have outscored the opposition by a 20-to-4 margin over that stretch, with two shutouts. Seventeen of those 20 goals have been scored after halftime in a match. The streak started with a 3-1 victory against A.I.I. tournament qualifier Talladega College on Oct. 13 at the Grizzly
Soccer Complex.
 
DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN TOTAL
The Grizzlies are one victory shy of reaching the double-digit win plateau for the season -- an achievement by GGC teams in each of the previous six seasons.
 
INSIDE THE GRIZZLIES

• The Grizzlies have posted a 5-1 record at home this fall.
• GGC is receiving votes in the most recent NAIA Top 25 poll; the team has been mentioned in each of the polls throughout this season.
• Thirteen different players have scored a goal for the Grizzlies this season.
• Sophomore Toni Tiente has scored a point in 12 of the team's 15 matches. He scored two goals in a home victory against Bob Jones University on Oct. 26.
• GGC played five teams that were ranked in the NAIA Top 25 poll at the time of the match; the team defeated No. 12 Reinhardt University on Oct. 20.
• The Grizzlies had five shutouts among their nine victories during the regular season.
• The team has a 1-0-1 record in overtime matches so far this season, beating Reinhardt 2-1 on Oct. 20 and tying No. 25 University of Northwestern Ohio, 2-2, on Aug. 24.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Waldorf has won six of its last eight matches to stand 8-8-1 on the season. One of those triumphs included a 2-1 win at No. 16-ranked Columbia College on Oct. 2. Anthonio Coletto tops the team with seven goals. Eighteen different players have scored a goal for the Warriors so far this fall.
 
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
Bellevue stands 16-0-2 and is ranked No. 6 in the final regular-season NAIA Top 25 poll. The team went 9-0 at home and posted a 7-0-2 mark on the road. Inaki Aldao leads the team with 13 goals, while Toby Millward has scored nine goals. Renato Silva has also contributed nine goals to the team's offensive attack. Bellevue has outscored the opposition by a 61-to-11 margin in 2018.
 
SCOUTING THE TORNADOES
Talladega, 9-5 on the season, is led by Matheus Severino with six goals. Jean-Pierre Fleury has added five goals and three assists. Victor Polemi rounds out the team's balanced offensive attack with four goals.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Waldorf won the only prior meeting between the programs with a 2-0 victory in last year's A.I.I. championship match at GGC.
 
GGC and Bellevue have never met.
 
GGC leads Talladega 3-0, including a 3-1 home victory on Oct. 13.
 
FOLLOW THE GRIZZLIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA
GGCAthletics.com will be home for the latest news and information regarding the men's soccer season. Watch all home matches on the Grizzly Digital Network with Matt Mahony providing play-by-play commentary. Keep track of GGC Athletics through the following social media: Twitter (@GGCAthletics), Facebook (GGCAthletics) and Instagram (GGCAthletics).