The Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer team's seniors accounted for seven of the eight goals in a decisive 8-0 Senior Day victory against Florida College on Saturday afternoon at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
With the win the Grizzlies closed out the regular season with a 9-6-1 record.
The eight goals are the most a GGC team has scored in a match since tallying nine goals in a victory against Rochester College (Michigan) on August 31, 2019.
Seniors
Joy Mertzig and
Addie Adame registered hat tricks, while Mertzig added two assists to set the single-game program record with eight points in a contest.
Senior
Maya Alibudbud opened the scoring the sixth minute with her first collegiate goal. Goals by Mertzig and Adame in the 14th and 17th minutes, respectively, extended GGC's lead to 3-0. Adame would add another goal in the 20th minute to build a 4-0 halftime advantage.
Mertzig found the back of the net twice 10 minutes apart in the second half before Adame scored her third goal of the match in the 59th minute. That gave GGC a 7-0 advantage and capped the strong offensive play by the seniors.
Sophomore
Kyara Armenta added her fifth goal of the season in the 60th minute as the Grizzlies outshot Florida College by a 38-3 margin in the match.
Other seniors playing their last regular season match of the 2021 season were
Lena Balck,
Grace Bullock,
Ana Da Costa,
Yana Reynolds. The group has collected 49 victories, three conference tournament titles and two NAIA postseason victories. Adame is planning to return in 2022 for a fifth season due to the NAIA's COVID-19 policy.
Coach's Corner
"The seniors contributed to this victory. This senior class is a special group that's accomplished a lot during their time here. They are unbeaten in conference tournament play and have made the national tournament each season. Their story isn't over. They have more to write in a couple of weeks (Continental Athletic Conference tournament)," said Head Coach
Dr. Mike Giuliano.
Turning Point
After recognizing their seven seniors in a pregame ceremony, the Grizzlies opened their regular-season finale by scoring four goals over the first 20 minutes. Senior
Maya Alibudubud put the home fans in a frenzy at the Grizzly Soccer Complex in the sixth minute with her first collegiate goal. Seniors
Joy Mertzig and
Addie Adame recorded hat tricks in the game. Seniors scored seven of the eight goals in the match.
Goals
6' –
Maya Alibudbud, GGC (unassisted)
14' –
Joy Mertzig, GGC (unassisted)
17' –
Addie Adame, GGC (
Joy Mertzig)
20' –
Addie Adame, GGC (unassisted)
47' –
Joy Mertzig, GGC (
Kyara Armenta)
57' –
Joy Mertzig, GGC (
Kyara Armenta)
59' –
Addie Adame, GGC (unassisted)
60' –
Kyara Armenta, GGC (
Joy Mertzig)
Inside The Numbers
- The Grizzlies outshot Florida College by a 38-3 margin, with 19 shots attempted in each half
- Senior Joy Mertzig registered 11 shots to tie for the second most shots attempted in a match in program history
- GGC's 38 shots tied for fifth most in a match in the program's 10th season
- Saturday marked the 49th win over the last four seasons for GGC's senior class
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 9-6-1 in 2021 while Florida College drops to 1-12 on the season
- Georgia Gwinnett College was receiving votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
- The Grizzlies have won both meetings against Florida College, outscoring the Falcons 13-0 in matches taking place during the 2021 calendar year
- The women's soccer program honored seniors Maya Alibudbud, Lena Balck, Grace Bullock, Ana Da Costa, Joy Mertzig, Yana Reynolds, and Ellie Todd during pregame Senior Day festivities
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host the Continental Athletic Conference soccer championship tournament November 12-13 at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
