The Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team scored twice within a four-minute span of the first half to defeat Vanguard University (California) 2-0 Thursday afternoon in first-round action of the 2022 NAIA Men's Soccer Lawrenceville Bracket at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

Junior Diego Milessi found the back of the net in the 17th minute following quick passes from seniors Karim Tmimi and Aleksandar Racanovic. Tmimi's pass to the top of the 18-yard box allowed Milessi to drill the shot with his right foot into the lower left corner of the goal. It was his fourth goal of the season.

A few minutes later, senior Thomas Herwig sent a ball back to the box after a Vanguard defender cleared the ball to the midfield. The ball sailed over the last line of defenders, where senior Juan Cruz Parisi Sitjar sprinted to the ball before Vanguard goalkeeper Edwin Monterrosa. Parisi Sitjar proceeded to head the ball into the open net in the 21st minute to double GGC's lead.

The Grizzlies (13-2-2) controlled the pace of play throughout the first half, having an 8-3 shot advantage and attempting five corner kicks.

Vanguard (11-4-3), the No. 4 seed, came back strong in the second half, registering six shots over the final 45 minutes in search of a goal. However, GGC freshman goalkeeper Andreas von Muecke and the team's senior defensive line of Gianmaria Fiore, Racanovic and Herwig limited the visitors to just four shots on goal. Muecke made three of his four saves in the second half to post the shutout.

Milessi led the Grizzlies' 12-shot offensive attack with three shots, while Parisi Sitjar had two shots in the victory.

With Thursday's victory top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College advances to the bracket's championship match on Saturday, November 19, against No. 2 seed Columbia College (Missouri), from the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 2 p.m. That match winner will be one of 10 teams advancing to the NAIA National Championship final site.
  "We came out well with an early shot. Juan Cruz gambled on that play as he was basically the only one on the field who kept playing. You're going to get every team's best shot in the second half of postseason play, and that's what Vanguard gave us. Andreas had a strong performance in goal. It was a great start in the tournament and we happy to get to continue playing on Saturday," said Head Coach Steve DeCou.
  Top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College registered a shot in the first 30 seconds of the match to set the tone for a strong first half. Junior Diego Milessi buried a shot from the top of the 18-yard box into the lower left corner of the goal to open the scoring in the 17th minute. Then, senior Thomas Herwig delivered a long ball back into the box after a clearance play. From there, senior Juan Cruz Parisi Sitjar won a header against the Vanguard goalkeeper to find the wide open net and score a key insurance goal.
  17' – Diego Milessi, GGC (Karim Tmimi, Aleksandar Racanovic)
21' – Juan Cruz Parisi Sitjar, GGC (Thomas Herwig)
 

• The Grizzlies held a 12-9 shot advantage in Thursday's match
• GGC recorded 10 corner kicks compared to just five for the Lions
• Freshman goalkeeper Andreas von Muecke made three of his four saves in the second half to post the shutout
• Senior Karim Tmimi contributed an assist to register a point in 15 of the team's 16 matches this season

• GGC improves to 13-2-2 on the season, while Vanguard ends the season with a 11-4-3 record
• Georgia Gwinnett College is the No. 1 seed in the Lawrenceville Bracket of the 2022 NAIA First & Second Round; Vanguard stood as the No. 4 seed
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 5 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll of the regular season
• GGC defeated the Lions 2-1 in the NAIA Round of 16 at the 2017 NAIA National Championship final site

Georgia Gwinnett College advances to the Lawrenceville Bracket championship match against No. 2 seed Columbia College (Missouri) on Saturday, November 19, from the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 2 p.m.