The Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team is in familiar territory after advancing to the championship match of the Association of Independent Institutions tournament for the sixth straight season with a thrilling 4-2 victory against Waldorf University (Iowa) in Friday night's semifinal at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

GGC (10-5-1), the tournament's No. 2 seed, will face top-seeded Bellevue University (Neb.) on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. for the opportunity to represent the conference in the NAIA national tournament.

The Grizzlies held a comfortable 3-0 lead before Waldorf made a furious comeback effort. The Warriors scored goals in the 87th and 89th minutes to get within a goal of catching the tournament hosts.

However, sophomore Krishna Clarke buried a shot from 18 yards away for an insurance goal in the final moments of the match, securing GGC's sixth straight victory. It was his second goal of the match after tallying the team's third goal in the 79th minute.

Sophomore Michael Weber gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute of the match. Then freshman Omar Thali added a breakaway goal in the 56th minute and the Grizzlies enjoyed a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Georgia Gwinnett College outshot Waldorf by a 19-to-4 margin and had 13 shots on goal. All four of the team's corner kicks came in the second half.
 
Turning Point
Waldorf made a late comeback attempt with goals in the 87th and 89th minutes to trim Georgia Gwinnett College's lead to one goal, 3-2. However, a foul just outside the box allowed for a golden scoring opportunity for the tournament hosts. Sophomore Michael Weber touched the free kick to sophomore Krishna Clarke for a shot that managed to get around the defensive wall. Clarke's goal gave the team a two-goal lead with 79 seconds remaining in the match.
 
Goals
38' – Michael Weber, GGC (Omar Thali)
56' – Omar Thali, GGC (Toni Tiente)
79' – Krishna Clarke, GGC (unassisted)
87' – Hanibal Abraha, WU (unassisted)
89' – Bruno Barbosa, WU (Hanibal Abraha)
89' – Krishan Clarke, GGC (Michael Weber)
 


Inside The Numbers

• GGC outshot Waldorf by a 19-to-4 margin, including an 8-to-0 margin in the first half
• Thirteen of the Grizzlies' 19 shots were on goal
• Sophomore Krishna Clarke attempted a match-high five shots in the victory
• Sophomore Toni Tiente has scored a point in 13 of GGC's 16 matches in 2018

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 10-5-1 on the season and has won its last six matches; Waldorf ends the 2018 season with a 8-9-1 record
• The Grizzlies are 6-1 at home this fall
• GGC is the No. 2 seed in the A.I.I. Soccer Championships, while Waldorf was the No. 3 seed
• GGC avenged a setback to the Warriors in last year's A.I.I. championship match
• The Grizzlies have won 10 or more matches in all seven seasons of the program's existence

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College faces top-seeded Bellevue University (Neb.) in the 2018 A.I.I. championship match on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. at the Grizzly Soccer Complex. The winner earns the conference's automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament.