Sophomore Addie Adame's flair for the dramatic came in handy to help lead the Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer team to a dramatic 3-2 double-overtime victory over Trinity Christian College (Ill.) in the NAIA Opening Round on Friday from Turner Stadium on the Taylor University campus in Upland, Ind.

Adame scored the game-winning goal in the 104th minute after contributing the assist on an important game-tying tally as the Grizzlies (15-5-1) rallied from a 2-1 second-half deficit to pick up the program's second straight NAIA Opening Round victory.

Freshman Jenny Stadin scored the tying goal, 2-2, in the 81st minute.

Sophomore Joy Mertzig gave GGC a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute when she scored her 18th goal of the season. Freshman Miranda Robinson sent a pass ahead to Mertzig for one of the Grizzlies' few scoring opportunities over the first 45 minutes.

Trinity Christian (17-3-1) answered behind a penalty-kick goal from Selah Hopkins in the 55th minute, squaring the contest at 1-1. Then, the Trolls took a 2-1 advantage in the 77th minute on a goal from Sara Shea.

Four minutes later came Stadin's tying effort.

In the second overtime period, and with the wind at their back, the Grizzlies created the scoring chance. Adame scored her third collegiate goal on a shot just inside the left goalpost.

"Maria crossed the ball and it just came to me. I knew I had to kick this ball before it bounced. It went in and my teammates began the celebration," said Adame about the match-winning goal. "We had some adversity in this game (being behind), but we trusted each other and believed that we were going to get it done."

Georgia Gwinnett advances to play No. 9-seeded Indiana Wesleyan University on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. in the championship match of the Marion Bracket. The winner advances to the NAIA national championship final site in Orange Beach, Ala., from Dec. 2-7.
 
Coach's Corner
"Every big postseason tournament run has a game that you must win to survive. We found the courage to come back and tie it up. With not a lot of time left, we dug down deep to tie the game and eventually won it after playing 104 minutes," said Head Coach Dr. Mike Giuliano.
 
Turning Point
Georgia Gwinnett rallied from a 2-1 deficit after the Trolls scored the go-ahead goal with 13 minutes remaining in regulation. Freshman Jenny Stadin, the 2019 Association of Independent Institutions Newcomer of the Year, found the back of the net in the 81st minute after receiving a pass from sophomore Addie Adame. Adame added a goal in the second overtime period to give the Grizzlies the victory.
 
Goals
31' – Joy Mertzig, GGC (Miranda Robinson)
55' – Selah Hopkins, TCC (penalty kick)
77' – Sara Shea, TCC (Brianna Uhl)
81' – Jenny Stadin, GGC (Addie Adame)
105' – Addie Adame, GGC (Jenny Stadin, Kyara Armenta)
 
Inside The Numbers

• Trinity Christian outshot the Grizzlies by a 24-20 margin, including a 14-13 edge in shots on goal
• GGC recorded four corner kicks
• Senior goalkeeper Sophie Hoare made a career-high 11 saves in the victory
• Sophomore Joy Mertzig attempted a team-high six shots for the Grizzlies

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 15-5-1 on the season, while Trinity Christian ends the 2019 season with a 17-3-1 record
• Friday's match marked GGC's second win in NAIA postseason tournament history
• The Grizzlies are making their fourth appearance in the NAIA national tournament

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College advances to play No. 9-seeded Indiana Wesleyan University in the championship match of the Marion Bracket of the NAIA Women's Soccer Opening Round on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. The winner advances to the national tournament's championship site in Orange Beach, Ala.