The Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team extended its winning streak to four straight matches behind a convincing 4-0 victory Saturday afternoon against Thomas University (Georgia) on Senior Day at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The Grizzlies (9-5-1) scored twice in each half with junior
Ciro Damine tallying a pair of goals, while freshman
Alejandro Contrera had a goal and two assists.
GGC's first-half goals came off rebounds. Damine got the hosts on the scoreboard in the 11th minute after following up an initial shot by Contrera that bounced off the right post.
Later, Contrera was the player in the right spot in front of the opposing net after a shot by junior
Ryuji Kubota was initially saved by Thomas goalkeeper Damien Fortin during the 31st minute.
Damine registered his second goal of the match and sixth of the season after executing a perfect give-and-go play with junior
Toufik Najem. That gave GGC a 3-0 lead at the 65-minute mark. Sophomore
Joshua Orue capped the team's strong offensive performance by drilling a left-footed shot from 15 yards into the back of the net in the 84th minute, after receiving a pass from Contrera.
GGC outshot Thomas (6-8-2) by an 18-8 margin, including a 10-2 edge during the first half. Eleven of the team's shots were on goal. Contrera led the way with four shots, while Damine scored on two of his three shot attempts. Freshman
Josefa Simao, Kubota and Najem each recorded two shots in Saturday's match.
Junior goalkeeper
Dagoberto Romero made six saves in recording the team's first shutout since September 2 when the Grizzlies blanked Rocky Mountain College (Montana) 1-0. Romero has won nine matches and posted three shutouts this fall.
Prior to the match the program honored the contributions of seniors
John Fragakis and
Patrick Gawliczek Rodriguez to the GGC program. The senior class has helped lead the Grizzlies to 29 victories and a 2022 quarterfinal round appearance in the NAIA national tournament.
Saturday's contest began a three-match home stand to conclude the regular season.
Coach's Corner
"This was a performance that we needed. We scored good goals and got a clean sheet (shutout), both things that we haven't had in a while. Thomas is one of our in-state rivals and a team that we have played a lot over the years. There's a lot of respect both ways for our programs. We're trending in the right direction as we head toward postseason play. The forwards put in the hard yards and got in the box, putting us in a good position to score. That's very promising for us," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
Turning Point
The Grizzlies have had five 2-0 leads this season, only to have the opposition score the next goal. GGC once again built a 2-0 halftime advantage on Saturday after capitalizing on second-chance shots by junior
Ciro Damine and freshman
Alejandro Contrera. However, in this match the team did not allow visiting Thomas to score and even stretched the lead to 3-0 midway through the second half on Damine's second tally of the match.
Goals
11' –
Ciro Damine, GGC (
Alejandro Contrera)
31' –
Alejandro Contrera, GGC (
Ryuji Kubota)
65' –
Ciro Damine, GGC (
Toufik Najem)
84' –
Joshua Orue, GGC (
Alejandro Contrera)
Inside The Numbers
- The Grizzlies outshot Thomas by an 18-8 margin, including a 10-2 edge during the first half
- Thomas held an 8-6 advantage in corner kicks across Saturday's 90 minutes of action
- Freshman Alejandro Contrera scored his ninth goal of the season and contributed two assists in the match
- GGC posted its first shutout since defeating Rocky Mountain College (Montana) 1-0 on September 2, 2024
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 9-5-1 this fall; Thomas drops to 6-8-2 on the season
- The Grizzlies were receiving votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
- Georgia Gwinnett College now has a 9-4-1 lead in the series, including a 5-0-1 mark in matches played at the Grizzly Soccer Complex
- Prior to Saturday's match the program honored seniors John Fragakis and Patrick Gawliczek Rodriguez during Senior Day festivities
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to continue its home stand with a match against Florida College on Tuesday, October 29, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 7 p.m.
