A pair of goals from junior Karim Tmimi led the No. 20-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team to its fifth straight victory to begin the season with a 3-1 triumph at Montreat College (North Carolina) on Saturday evening in Montreat, North Carolina.

The Grizzlies' 5-0 start matches the 2017 squad which started the season with five consecutive wins.

Tmimi opened the scoring early in the match, finding the back of the net in the fifth minute. Senior Alfredo Rivera played a long ball to junior Mike Machila, who then found Tmimi for the scoring chance. The shot from the top of the 18-yard box in front of Montreat's goal gave the visitors an early 1-0 lead.

The Grizzlies would add a second goal in the opening minutes of the second half behind freshman Jack Brown's first collegiate goal. His shot found the back post in the 55th minute following a through pass by senior Daniel Okonkwo.

Montreat (5-6) got on the scoreboard in the 60th minute from a penalty kick goal by Carlos Hernandez to narrow the gap to 2-1.

However, the Grizzlies regained momentum in the match with Tmimi's second goal of the match, this one coming in the 67th minute.

GGC outshot the Cavaliers by a 20-4 margin, including an 11-3 edge in shots on goal. Tmimi led the way with five shots, while Okonkwo added four shots.
 
"It was good to go on the road and get a win. There is definitely room for improvement following this effort. I thought the guys who came off the bench gave us quality minutes and turned in good performances tonight," said Head Coach Steve DeCou.
 
The Grizzlies scored early in each period to build a 2-0 lead on the road. Five minutes into the contest junior Karim Tmimi gave GGC the lead with his third goal of the season. Then, 10 minutes into the second half, freshman Jack Brown converted a scoring chance for the team's second goal of the match.
 
5' – Karim Tmimi, GGC (Mike Machila, Alfredo Rivera)
55' – Jack Brown, GGC (Daniel Okonkwo, Toni Tiente)
60' – Carlos Hernandez, MC (Penalty kick)
67' – Karim Tmimi, GGC (unassisted)
 

• The Grizzlies outshot Montreat 20-4, including a 12-1 margin during the first half
• Both teams attempted five corner kicks
• Five of the eight shots by junior Karim Tmimi were on goal in the victory
• Six different players attempted a shot for GGC

• GGC improves to 5-0 on the season, while Montreat falls to 5-6 during the 2020-21 campaign
• Georgia Gwinnett College was ranked No. 20 in the first NAIA Top 25 poll of the season
• The team has won all four matches in the series against Montreat
• The Grizzlies have recorded three of their five wins this season on the road

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to travel to Brewton-Parker College (Georgia) on Thursday, March 11, at 2:30 p.m. in Mount Vernon, Georgia.