Third-seeded Ottawa University (Arizona) converted a corner kick in the 68th minute to score the lone goal in a match against No. 2 seed Georgia Gwinnett College in a first-round match of the NAIA Men's Soccer Opening Round hosted by St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Juaval Roberts found the back of the net on a second-chance effort for the game-winning goal. Tinashe Simbo took an initial shot following a corner kick, but Roberts was there to capitalize on one of the few scoring chances in a match that was delayed four hours by inclement weather.
Ottawa (12-4-1) had a 4-3 advantage over GGC (9-6-1) for shots on goal. However, the Grizzlies registered 11 shots, with three coming after Ottawa took the 1-0 advantage. The Spirit finished with seven total shots in its initial NAIA tournament appearance.
GGC's best scoring opportunity came in the 82nd minute when Ottawa goalkeeper Angel Ramirez stopped a shot attempt by junior
Karim Tmimi. Freshman
Jason Strambu missed the goal on a shot in the final minute.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Matthew Wallace made three saves for the Grizzlies.
Georgia Gwinnett College was making their eighth postseason trip to the national tournament and sixth straight appearance.
Turning Point
Ottawa turned a corner kick into the match's lone goal midway through the second half. A volley from Juaval Roberts found the back of the net after an initial shot attempt by Tinashe Simbo. Scoring chances were limited in the match as the Spirit outshot GGC on shots on goal by a 4-3 margin.
Goals
68' – Juaval Roberts, OUAZ (Tinashe Simbo)
Inside The Numbers
- GGC outshot Ottawa by an 11-7 margin, with seven shots coming during the second half
- The Grizzlies recorded six corner kicks in the 90 minutes of action
- Junior Juan Cruz Parisi Sitjar tied for team-high honors with three shot attempts
News & Notes
- GGC ends the season with a 9-6-1 record, while Ottawa improves to 12-4-1 this fall
- Georgia Gwinnett College was ranked No. 15 in the final NAIA Top 25 regular season poll; Ottawa stood No. 25 in the same poll
- Thursday's match marked the first meeting between the two programs
- The Grizzlies have a 4-8 postseason record in program history
