It was a glorious Senior Night for the No. 16-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer team as the Grizzlies defeated No. 5 Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) 1-0 on Friday at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

GGC (11-4-1) has won four straight matches – all by shutouts.

Freshman Kyara Armenta scored the match's lone goal when she found the back of the net in the 19th minute. She got past Lindsey Wilson's last defender in the 18-yard box after receiving a pass from classmate Hannah Martinelli. Armenta's shot bounced off the crossbar and past the opposing goalkeeper.

Then, the team's stingy defense effort held the Blue Raiders scoreless for just the second match this season. Senior goalkeeper Sophie Hoare started the match while senior Elisa Randel finished the contest, securing the victory with two diving saves in the 87th minute. Randel made four saves in the second half and the duo combined to stop seven total shots on goal.

Hoare and Randel were honored prior to Friday's match for playing their final regular-season home match.

GGC had several scoring opportunities in the match, attempting 10 shots, with seven making it to the opposing goal. The team nearly got on the scoreboard in the 10th minute when a shot from freshman Maria Rivera was stopped in front of Lindsey Wilson's net. Four minutes later, a shot from freshman Jenny Stadin nearly found the back of the net.

In the second half, Martinelli hit the goal post on a breakaway opportunity in the 72nd minute. A rebound attempt sailed wide in the rapid-fire offensive sequence.

On the other end of the pitch, Randel deflected a shot from Lindsey Wilson's Ylwa Toernberg off the crossbar in the 87th minute. Ten seconds later, Randel leaped to deflect Alicia Thoresen's shot off the intersection of the crossbar and left post.


 
Coach's Corner
"We beat a top-5 team in the country. We played well for most of the game and at the end we were hanging on. Our two senior goalkeepers stood tall for us. What a great Senior Night. Elisa (Randel) made two awesome saves at the end," said Head Coach Dr. Mike Giuliano.
 
Turning Point
Senior goalkeeper Elisa Randel made two spectacular saves to keep No. 5 Lindsey Wilson off the scoreboard for only the second time this season. She deflected a shot from Ylwa Toernberg off the crossbar in the 87th minute. Then, 10 seconds later, Randel leaped to deflect Alicia Thoresen's shot off the intersection of the crossbar and left post.
 
Goals
19' – Kyara Armenta, GGC (Hannah Martinelli)
 
Inside The Numbers

• Senior goalkeepers Sophie Hoare and Elisa Randel each played a half on Senior Night and combined to make seven saves; Randel led the effort with four saves
• Lindsey Wilson attempted 12 shots compared to GGC 10 shots in the 90 minutes of action
• Freshman Jenny Stadin had a match-high five shots for the Grizzlies
• Twenty different players saw match action for GGC, compared to 13 players for the Blue Raiders

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 11-4-1 on the season, while Lindsey Wilson falls to 9-3-1 in 2019
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 16 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll; Lindsey Wilson stood No. 5 in the same poll
• Lindsey Wilson leads the series 3-2, but the Grizzlies have the won the last two regular-season meetings
• Georgia Gwinnett College won all three matches during its recent home stand, all in shutout fashion

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play at No. 9-ranked Martin Methodist College (Tenn.) on Monday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. from Pulaski, Tenn.