The No. 18-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer team collected its third straight shutout for the 10th win of the season with a 6-0 victory against the University of Rio Grande (Ohio) on Saturday afternoon on a neutral pitch at the University of the Cumberlands (Kentucky) in Williamsburg, Kentucky.
The Grizzlies (10-5-1) tallied three goals in each half and scored on three of their first four shots in the match. They outshot Rio Grande by a 20-2 margin.
Junior
Kendra Davis registered her third career hat trick and second of 2024 season in the victory. Two of her goals came 10 minutes apart in the second half, both being unassisted. Davis is tied for second on the team with nine goals this season.
Senior
Aurora Miglio scored her team-leading 10th goal and provided two assists in the strong first-half performance, when GGC had an 8-2 shot advantage. She found the back of the net in the 13th minute after receiving a pass from classmate
Pernilla Westergren to give the team a 3-0 advantage.
Miglio set up Davis for her first goal in the fourth minute off a shot from 15 yards away that landed inside the left corner of the opposing goal. The forward then assisted on a goal by junior
Natalie Maguire during the 11th minute.
Later in the first half, sophomore
Riko Yasuzawa struck the right post with a shot in the 14th minute.
Maguire would add her ninth goal of the fall campaign two minutes into second half to give the Grizzlies a 4-0 advantage. Maguire converted the goal in front of the goal after receiving a left crossing pass from junior
Grace Clark.
GGC outshot Rio Grande (8-5-2) by a 12-0 margin in the second half. Davis had a match-high six shot attempts, with each of her three shots on goal finding the back of the net. Maguire tallied four shots while Miglio and Yasuzawa each chipped in three shots in the victory.
Senior goalkeeper
Matilda Johansson tallied her 10th career shutout.
Coach's Corner
"Offensively, this was some of our best soccer in a long time. We played good soccer for the whole match, which is encouraging. The players made really good decisions with the ball. This definitely was a step forward for us today. It's always good to get a clean sheet (third straight shutout) as well," said Head Coach
Dr. Mike Giuliano.
Turning Point
The Grizzlies were once again efficient with their shooting, finding the back of the net on three of their first four shots in Saturday's match. Senior
Aurora Miglio scored a goal and provided two assists in the opening 15 minutes. This comes off a performance at Talladega College (Alabama) on Wednesday when the team registered eight of its 11 shots on goal.
Goals
4' –
Kendra Davis, GGC (
Aurora Miglio)
11' –
Natalie Maguire, GGC (
Aurora Miglio)
13' –
Aurora Miglio, GGC (
Pernilla Westergren)
47' –
Natalie Maguire, GGC (
Grace Clark)
57' –
Kendra Davis, GGC (Unassisted)
67' –
Kendra Davis, GGC (Unassisted)
Inside The Numbers
- The Grizzlies registered 12 of their 20 shots during the second half
- Junior Kendra Davis recorded her second hat trick of the 2024 season
- GGC attempted four corner kicks across Saturday's 90 minutes of action
- Nineteen different GGC players appeared in the match
News & Notes
- GGC is 10-5-1 this fall; Rio Grande drops to 8-5-2 on the season
- The Grizzlies were ranked No. 18 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
- Saturday's match marked the first meeting between the two colleges
- The team is 3-2-0 during the current six-match road swing
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College concludes its six-match road swing with a match at No. 22 Truett-McConnell University (Georgia) on Saturday, October 26, in Cleveland, Georgia, starting at 7 p.m.
