Georgia Gwinnett College junior
Kyara Armenta gave the standing-room crowd a lot to cheer with a goal in the 78th minute for a dramatic 1-0 victory against USC Beaufort in Friday night's semifinal round of the Continental Athletic Conference Soccer Championship tournament at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The No. 2 seed GGC (5-7-6) put together one of its best performances of the season in picking up the postseason triumph. Advancing to the championship match means that the team has secured one of the CAC's automatic bids for the NAIA national tournament.
The Grizzlies will play top seed Bellevue University (Nebraska) on Saturday, November 12, at 7 p.m. for the title. The Bruins defeated No. 4 seed Viterbo University (Wisconsin) 2-0 in an earlier semifinal on Friday.
Controlling the match's statistics, Georgia Gwinnett College outshot the visiting Sand Sharks (11-7-1) by a 12-3 margin across the 90 minutes of action. The host team held a 5-1 advantage in shots during the first half.
The match remained scoreless between two stingy defensive efforts until the 78th minute.
That's when Armenta weaved her way through the USC Beaufort midfield and made a late cut to get a left foot strike from 20 yards in front of the net. The ball sailed perfectly into the upper left corner of the goal for the pivotal 1-0 lead.
USC Beaufort was only able to manage one shot attempt at the GGC goal the rest of the way in the semifinal match. Sophomore goalkeeper
Matilda Johansson, playing the second half, stopped that shot to ensure the victory.
Armenta led GGC's offensive attack with three shots. Juniors
Bre Harvey and
Miranda Robinson joined freshman
Saga Andersson in each attempting two shots in the match.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Coach's Corner
"USCB is a brilliant defensive team. Kyara's goal was brilliant. I'm not a fan of shooting from outside the 18-yard box, but in that situation we had to because we just couldn't get closer (to the USC Beaufort goal). I'm so proud and pleased with the work and effort we played with tonight," said Head Coach
Dr. Mike Giuliano.
Turning Point
It just takes one moment to determine a winner in postseason play. For junior
Kyara Armenta, that moment came in the 78th minute when she found the back of the net with a perfectly struck shot from 20 yards away past goalkeeper Emily Worrell into the upper left corner of the USC Beaufort goal. Armenta's shot off her left foot gave the tournament hosts the 1-0 margin needed for the semifinal round victory.
Goals
78' –
Kyara Armenta, GGC (unassisted)
Inside The Numbers
- The Grizzlies outshot USC Beaufort by a 12-3 margin
- Both teams recorded five corner kicks in the match
- Junior Kyara Armenta scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season
- Four different players attempted multiple shots across the 90 minutes of action
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 5-7-6 on the season, while USC Beaufort ends the season with a 11-7-1 record
- The Grizzlies stood as the No. 2 seed in the Continental Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Championship; USC Beaufort was the No. 3 seed
- Georgia Gwinnett College has a 7-0 lead in the series
- The team has won five straight conference tournament titles
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College plays top seed Bellevue University (Nebraska) in the championship match of the 2022 Continental Athletic Conference Soccer Championship Tournament on Saturday, November 12, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 7 p.m.
