The No. 16-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team dominated the statistics but was unable to find the back of the net in a scoreless draw against Union College (Kentucky) in a hot and humid season-opening match Tuesday afternoon at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

The Grizzlies outshot their opponent by a 19-4 margin, including 15-1 in regulation time, and registered 14 corner kicks, eight of which came in the second half.

Four shots came in the opening 11 minutes, capped by freshman Jack Brown hitting the left post.

Then, early in the second half, freshman Jason Strambu registered a shot that was saved by Union goalkeeper Pedro Moreira. He would make six saves for the visiting Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, GGC sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Wallace was also stellar in front of the team's net. He turned away Union's only shot on goal in regulation time, a free kick from Simon Salis from 25 yards away.

Both teams attempted two shots in the second 10-minute overtime period.

Sophomore Marco Panaccione led the Grizzlies with four shots, while junior Karim Tmimi tallied three shots and three other players registered two shots in the match.

Tuesday's match began the 10th season in program history and GGC is now 8-0-2 all-time in season openers.
  "We played very well for a large portion of the game, with two of [Union's] shots coming at the very end. Our fitness was tested in challenging playing conditions with extremely high temperatures (91 degrees at start of the match)," said Head Coach Steve DeCou.
  The Grizzlies got off to a fast start by taking three shots in the first four minutes of the match. Second-year freshman Jack Brown hit the left post in the 11th minute. In the second half, sophomore Marco Panaccione just missed in the 87th minute. Then, sophomore Ivano Carrieri fired a shot right of the Union goal in the 89th minute of the 110-minute season opener.


 

• The Grizzlies outshot Union by a 19-4 margin, including a 15-1 advantage in regulation
• Both teams registered two shots during the second 10-minute overtime period
• GGC attempted 14 corner kicks in the match
• Sophomore Marco Panaccione led the Grizzlies with four shots during the 110-minute match

• GGC is 0-0-1 on the season, while Union also has a 0-0-1 record in 2021
• Georgia Gwinnett College is ranked No. 16 in the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll
• The Grizzlies lead the all-time series 2-0-1
• GGC began its 10th season in program history Tuesday

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play Baker University (Kansas) in tournament action from the University of Mobile (Alabama) on Friday, August 27, starting at 6 p.m.