The No. 10-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team completed its first unbeaten regular season by scoring twice in each half to defeat Thomas University (Georgia) 4-0 Thursday evening on Senior Night from the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The Grizzlies (9-0-2) got on the scoreboard early in the match when sophomore
Diego Milessi got behind the Thomas defense in the 12th minute. Junior
Gianmaria Fiore delivered a long pass from the defense to a sprinting Milessi, who converted the scoring chance inside the 18-yard box in front of the Night Hawks' goal.
Junior
Mike Machila gave GGC a 2-0 lead in the 22nd minute with his third goal of the season.
The lead grew to 3-0 when senior
Daniel Okonkwo found the back of the net five minutes into the second half. Junior
Karim Tmimi rounded out the scoring with a goal in the 62nd minute. Both second-half goals were set up by senior
Alfredo Rivera, who tied the single-season program record with 11 assists.
Senior goalkeeper
Matija Gligorovic made one save to record the shutout, his second this season against Thomas after recording a 3-0 road win February 18.
Two other seniors playing in their final regular-season match were
Emmanuel Olusanya and
Toni Tiente, who set up Machila's first-half goal.
The Grizzlies are now preparing to host a semifinal match in the Association of Independent Institutions Soccer Championship on Friday, April 9.
"It was a very good performance, limiting (Thomas) to three shots. It was a great way to send out the seniors. I like where this team is heading into the conference tournament," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
After scoring an early goal, the Grizzlies added another first-half tally in the 22nd minute when junior
Mike Machila received a pass from senior
Toni Tiente on the right side of the pitch. Machila had a one-on-one situation with Thomas's goalkeeper and found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
12' –
Diego Milessi, GGC (
Gianmaria Fiore)
22' –
Mike Machila, GGC (
Toni Tiente)
51' –
Daniel Okonkwo, GGC (
Karim Tmimi,
Alfredo Rivera)
62' –
Karim Tmimi, GGC (
Alfredo Rivera)
- The Grizzlies outshot Thomas by an 11-3 margin
- Senior Alfredo Rivera had two assists Thursday to tie the program record with 11 assists for this season
- Seven different GGC players attempted a shot in the victory
- GGC improves to 9-0-2 on the season, while Thomas drops to 3-4-1 on the season
- Georgia Gwinnett College is ranked No. 10 in the NAIA Top 25 poll
- The Grizzlies lead the series 6-3 and have won both meetings this season with shutouts
- GGC and Thomas are members of the Association of Independent Institutions
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host the 2020-21 Association of Independent Institutions championship tournament April 9-10 from the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
