The No. 23-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team flexed its muscle by scoring five second-half goals in defeating Point University (Georgia) 6-0 Saturday night at the Grizzly Soccer Complex. The contest opened this weekend's Grizzly Labor Day Classic.
The six goals are a season high for the Grizzlies (3-0-1).
After having several early scoring opportunities, the team finally put a goal on the scoreboard with 13 seconds remaining in the first half. Senior
Karim Tmimi converted a rebound following a save by the Skyhawk goalkeeper from an initial shot by sophomore
Jason Strambu.
GGC then took control of the match by scoring a pair of goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, building a 3-0 lead – its largest of the season. Junior
Emanuele Sordi headed the ball into the net from the six-yard box after a crossing pass from sophomore
Antoine Ferez in the 54th minute.
Junior
Aleksandar Rajkovic scored his second goal of the season by drilling a shot inside the left post in the 60th minute to give the team its 3-0 advantage.
Junior
Augustin Lepoutre joined Ferez and freshman
Sam Povolotsky in tallying their first goals of the fall campaign. The scores came during the 68th, 69th and 89th minutes, respectively.
Tmimi paced the team's offensive attack by scoring a goal and contributing two assists. He also attempted a match-high six shots. Sordi had five shots, with three of them being on goal.
The Grizzlies outshot Point (0-2-1) by a 22-6 margin, highlighted by 12 shots during the second half.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Ron Boaz made three saves and posted the team's first shutout of the season.
Georgia Gwinnett College concludes the Grizzly Labor Day Classic by facing LSU Shreveport on Monday, September 5, starting at 11:30 a.m.
"This was one of our best performances in the last five to six years. I'm extremely pleased. We played 90 minutes tonight. The guys executed the game plan and the points of emphasis in the practices were on display in the match. Our goals came from across the lineup," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
After surrendering two-goal leads during its last two matches, GGC was determined to keep adding goals to the scoreboard after taking a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Junior
Aleksandar Rajkovic buried a shot from the top of the 18-yard box inside the left post in the 60th minute to extend the lead to three goals – the largest lead of the season for the Grizzlies.
45' –
Karim Tmimi, GGC (
Jason Strambu)
54' –
Emanuele Sordi, GGC (
Antoine Ferez,
Karim Tmimi)
60' –
Aleksandar Rajkovic, GGC (
Karim Tmimi,
Emanuele Sordi)
68' –
Augustin Lepoutre, GGC (
Aaron Hafner)
69' –
Antoine Ferez, GGC (unassisted)
89' –
Sam Povolotsky, GGC (unassisted)
- GGC outshot Point by a 22-6 margin, with 12 shots during the second half
- Junior Emanuele Sordi scored his fourth goal of the season
- Senior Karim Tmimi netted a goal in the third straight match
- The Grizzlies attempted eight corner kicks during the 90 minutes of action
- GGC improves to 3-0-1 this fall, while Point drops to 0-2-1 on the season
- Georgia Gwinnett College was ranked No. 23 in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 Poll
- The Grizzlies have won both meetings in the series
- GGC is 19-1-2 since 2018 against in-state opponents
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host LSU Shreveport to wrap up the Grizzly Labor Day Classic on Monday, September 5, starting at 11:30 a.m.
