Junior Karim Tmimi scored two goals and assisted on another tally as the No. 14-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team rallied for a remarkable 3-2 double-overtime road victory against previously unbeaten Cumberland University (Tennessee) on Saturday afternoon in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Cumberland (3-1) held a 2-0 lead following goals by Tyler Watson in the fourth minute and Daniel Picken in the 53rd minute.

Making the Grizzlies (3-2-1) obstacle even more challenging was the fact that they were playing down a player since the 27th minute of the match after the assessment of a red card penalty.

Undaunted, the comeback began when freshman Jason Strambu found the back of the net in the 63rd minute. Tmimi started the offensive play by finding sophomore Milton Alfaro in the middle of the pitch. Alfaro delivered a pass to a racing Strambu into the 18-yard box in front of the Cumberland goal. The GGC player proceeded to beat opposing goalkeeper Nicklas Rulle to the ball and completed the scoring opportunity.

The Phoenix held onto a one-goal advantage until late-match heroics by Tmimi. With three minutes remaining in regulation, senior Alex Rivera sent a crossing pass from the right side of the pitch toward the Cumberland goal. Rulle tried to grab the ball in the air, but the ball went through his hands. Tmimi was well positioned to capitalize on the mistake and buried the ball into the net for the match-tying goal.

Tmimi would culminate the rally with his second goal of the match. In the 103rd minute, he found himself one-on-one against Rulle after receiving a brilliant pass from senior Krishna Clarke. Tmimi drilled the ball into the empty net for the game-winning tally.

Sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Wallace made eight saves in the match, including four stops in the first half.

The Grizzlies are now 1-0-1 this season in overtime matches.
  "This ranks among one of the better wins in program history, considering the adversity that we faced (playing one player down) and the 2-0 deficit. Despite being down we still felt good about our situation. So many players stepped up for us to come back. As the match went on, we ramped up the pressure and created good scoring chances. Jason's goal gave us more confidence and Karim excelled and was able to net the tying and game-winning goals," said Head Coach Steve DeCou.
                Trailing 2-1 in the closing minutes of regulation, senior Alex Rivera sent a crossing pass from the right side into the 18-yard box in front of the Cumberland goal. Opposing goalkeeper Nicklas Rulle went to grab the ball in the air. However, the ball went through his hands and into an area being played by GGC junior Karim Tmimi. He proceeded to put the ball into the open net for the match-tying goal with three minutes left in regulation. The visitors carried that positive momentum into overtime, when Tmimi would net the winning goal early in the second extra period.
  4' – Tyler Watson, CU (Austin Morenzoni)
53' – Daniel Picken, CU (unassisted)
63' – Jason Strambu, GGC (Milton Alfaro, Karim Tmimi)
87' – Karim Tmimi, GGC (unassisted)
103' – Karim Tmimi, GGC (Krishna Clarke)
 

• Cumberland held a 22-13 shot advantage, including a 10-7 edge in shots on goal
• Junior Karim Tmimi registered five points in the match and increased his goal total to five for the season
• Sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Wallace made eight saves in the victory
• The Grizzlies recorded four corner kicks, highlighted by four corners in the first 10-minute overtime period

• GGC improves to 3-2-1 on the season, while Cumberland falls to 3-1 this fall
• Georgia Gwinnett College was ranked No. 14 in the first NAIA Top 25 poll of the regular season
• The Grizzlies lead the series 4-0-1, with Saturday's meeting marking the fourth match played in Lebanon, Tennessee (GGC is 3-0-1 there)
• Saturday's match was the second overtime contest for GGC this fall

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host Talladega College (Alabama) on Thursday, September 16, at 7 p.m. from the Grizzly Soccer Complex.