The Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team wasted no time in shaking off the rust from an 18-day schedule break in picking up a 3-2 road triumph at West Virginia Tech on Wednesday afternoon in Beckley, West Virginia.

The Grizzlies (8-5-1) scored twice in the first half. Freshman Evan Alvarez buried a left-footed shot into the lower right corner of the goal in the fifth minute for his first tally of the season.

Junior Toufik Najem bent a free kick over a wall of defenders and past a leaping West Virginia Tech goalkeeper into the upper left corner during the 26th minute to give the visitors a 2-0 halftime lead.

GGC controlled the pace of play in the match, outshooting the Golden Bears (6-7-2) by a 15-5 margin and attempting six of the seven corner kicks across the 90 minutes of action. Najem recorded a match-high five shot attempts in the win.

West Virginia Tech got a goal back in the 81st minute as Vasco Berardo scored following a pass from Joan Hernandez.

However, GGC freshman Alejandro Contrera converted a penalty kick with 75 seconds remaining in the match to regain a two-goal advantage, at 3-1. The forward leads the Grizzlies with eight goals scored.

That was a key insurance goal as the Golden Bears netted a second goal with eight seconds left in the contest as Ollie Corris flicked a free kick by Berardo.

Junior goalkeeper Dagoberto Romero picked up his eighth win of the season in Wednesday's match.

Georgia Gwinnett College has won all three October matches and is scheduled to play four times over 11 days to conclude the regular season.
 
Coach's Corner
"We got back to doing the basics during the break and we started this match exactly how the guys have been playing in training. It was a total-team performance. We were good defensively and were organized. I'm very pleased with how we are progressing and getting better," said Head Coach Steve DeCou.
 
Turning Point
The visiting Grizzlies had a strong response in the final 10 minutes after surrendering a goal that trimmed their lead to 2-1. Freshman Alejandro Contrera converted a penalty kick with 75 seconds remaining to once again stretch the team's advantage to a two-goal margin. That turned out to be the match-winning tally as West Virginia Tech scored in the final seconds of the match.
 
Goals
5' – Evan Alvarez, GGC (Unassisted)
26' – Toufik Najem, GGC (Unassisted)
82' – Vasco Berardo, WVUT (Joan Hernandez)
89' – Alejandro Contrera, GGC (Penalty kick)
90' – Ollie Corris, WVUT (Vasco Berardo)
 
Inside The Numbers

• The Grizzlies held a commanding 15-5 shot advantage, including an 11-3 edge in shots on goal
• GGC recorded six corner kick attempts, compared to one corner kick for West Virginia Tech, across the 90 minutes of action
• Freshman Alejandro Contrera successfully converted a penalty kick to score his team-leading eighth goal of the season
• Eight different Grizzlies registered a shot during Wednesday's road win

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 8-5-1 on the season; West Virginia Tech drops to 6-7-2 in 2024
• The Grizzlies were receiving votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll, announced on Wednesday, October 23
• Both teams have now won twice in the series history, with the road team winning each meeting
• The team played its final road match of the regular season

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host Thomas University (Georgia) on Senior Day taking place Saturday, October 26, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 1 p.m.