The NAIA Top-20 men's soccer showdown between Georgia Gwinnett College and Mid-America Christian University (Oklahoma) lived up to its early-season billing with a 3-2 comeback by the Evangels concluding the Labor Day Grizzly Classic on Monday afternoon at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

Mid-America Christian, ranked No. 9 in the preseason poll, scored in the 87th minute to rally past the No. 16-ranked Grizzlies for the team's fourth straight victory to open the season.

Both teams scored consecutive goals within two-minute spans of the match. GGC (2-2-1) grabbed a 2-0 halftime lead behind goals from sophomore Ivano Carrieri and Jack Brown in the 23rd and 25th minutes, respectively.

Carrieri rocketed a shot from the top of the 18-yard box after the Evangels cleared a corner kick.

Then, Brown's hustle during a scramble play in front of the opposing goal paid off in finding the back of the net for his first tally of the season.

Mid-America Christian picked up the pace of play to start the second half and answered with goals 59 seconds apart in the early stages of the period. Rodrigo Albuquerque scored the first goal in the 57th minute before Ricardo Ferreira squared the match in the 58th minute.

The Grizzlies played the final 23 minutes down a player and nearly regained the lead in the final 10 minutes. After entering as a substitute in the 82nd minute, Brown found himself one-on-one with Mid-America Christian goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel during the 83rd minute. However, Abonnel was able to make the save at the top of the box in front of the net.

Four minutes later, the Evangels took advantage of an odd-man rush to score the match-winning goal. Albuquerque found the back of the net after Ferreira took an initial shot that was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Wallace. However, a loose ball bounced right to Albuquerque, who drilled the ball into the open net.

Senior Krishna Clarke and Brown each registered two shots to lead the Grizzlies' eight-shot offensive attack. Ten of Mid-America Christian's 11 shots came in the second half.
  The Grizzlies nearly grabbed a 3-2 advantage in the 83rd minute when freshman Jack Brown got behind the Mid-America Christian defense and was one-on-one with opposing goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnell. However, Abonnell made the save at the top of the 18-yard box. A few minutes later the Evangels got a two-on-one chance of their own. An initial shot from Ricardo Ferreira was stopped but the loose ball went to Rodrigo Albuquerque for the match-winning goal as the Grizzlies were down a player on the pitch.
  23' – Ivano Carrieri, GGC (unassisted)
25' – Jack Brown, GGC (unassisted)
57' – Rodrigo Albuquerque, MACU (unassisted)
58' – Riardo Ferreira, MACU (Eugenio Garcia Guerra)
87' – Rodrigo Albuquerque, MACU (Ricardo Ferreira)
 

• Mid-America Christian outshot GGC by a 11-8 margin, including a 10-4 edge in the second half
• The Grizzlies recorded three corner kicks in the match
• Sophomore Ivano Carrieri and freshman Jack Brown scored their first goals of the season

• GGC drops to 2-2-1 this fall, while Mid-America Christian improves to 4-0 in 2021
• Georgia Gwinnett College was ranked No. 16 in the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll; Mid-America Christian stood No. 9 in the same poll
• Monday's match marked the first meeting between the two schools

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to travel to Cumberland University (Tennessee) on Saturday, September 11, at 4 p.m. in Lebanon, Tennessee.