Four second-half goals turned around the fortunes for the Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team in a 4-1 victory Wednesday night against NCAA Division III Oglethorpe University (Ga.) on Senior Night at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The Grizzlies (9-4-3) head into postseason play by winning three straight matches, their longest streak of the season. They have outscored the opposition 12-3 during the winning streak.
However, the latest victory needed a concentrated second-half effort by the team, after trailing 1-0 at halftime. Junior
Toni Tiente scored a pair of goals, including the game-tying goal off a free kick in the 58th minute of the match. He later added a goal in the 78th minute to give GGC a 3-1 advantage.
Freshman
Ilan Adam gave the hosts a 2-1 lead in the 61st minute when he lofted a shot from the right side of the pitch inside the far goal post. Senior
Sagi Hirsch delivered a long ball to create the scoring chance.
Freshman
Milton Alfaro capped the team's strong second half with a goal, his second of the season, in the 81st minute.
Oglethorpe (12-3) took a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute after a turnover led to a one-on-one situation. It was the only shot the Stormy Petrels would get in the first half.
GGC attempted a season-high 27 shots in the match, which was played in inclement weather. The team outshot its opponent by a 27-5 margin. Junior goalkeeper
Matija Gligorovic made three saves in the second half to collect his ninth win of the season.
Prior to the match the GGC men's soccer program honored seniors
Ian Aramburu,
Myles Barber,
Carlos Delarosa,
Sagi Hirsch,
Ivan Morales,
Oscar Sommerkamp and
Malik Thornell. The senior class has won 47 matches, two Association of Independent Institutions titles and made three NAIA national tournament appearances.
Coach's Corner
"This was good preparation for postseason play. They (Oglethorpe) sat back, were very organized and were tough to break down. I was pleased how we controlled the ball throughout the entire match," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
Turning Point
GGC outshot Oglethorpe 14-1 in the first half, but trailed 1-0 after 45 minutes of action. A tying goal eventually came in the 58th minute when junior
Toni Tiente drilled a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box into the upper left corner of the goal. Then, the hosts took a 2-1 lead three minutes later on a goal from freshman
Ilan Adam. GGC added goals in the 78th and 81st minutes to round out the strong second-half performance.
Goals
23' – Chris Tadros, OU (unassisted)
58' –
Toni Tiente, GGC (unassisted)
61' –
Ilan Adam, GGC (
Sagi Hirsch)
78' –
Toni Tiente, GGC (unassisted)
81' –
Milton Alfaro, GGC (unassisted)
Inside The Numbers
- GGC attempted a season-high 27 shots in the victory; fourteen different players recorded a shot in 90 minutes of match action
- All seven seniors appeared in the Senior Night match for the Grizzlies
- Junior goalkeeper Matija Gligorovic made three saves during the second half to pick up the victory
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 9-4-3 on the season; Oglethorpe stands 12-3 this fall
- Georgia Gwinnett College is ranked No. 23 in this week's NAIA Top 25 poll, announced earlier today by the national office; Oglethorpe stood No. 5 in the NCAA Division III South Atlantic region rankings
- The team holds a 2-0 leads in the series between the two programs
- The Grizzlies have won three consecutive matches to close out the regular season; they have outscored the opposition by a 12-3 margin during the winning streak
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College hosts the 2019 Association of Independent Institutions Soccer Championship from Nov. 15-16 at the Grizzly Soccer Complex. Visit GGCAthletics.com for seeding and semifinal matchups of the postseason event.
