Five different Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer players registered goals, including a hat trick, as the Grizzlies had a season-high offensive performance in Thursday's 10-2 victory against Wiley University (Texas) to open play in the Continental Athletic Conference Classic at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The Grizzlies (6-5-1) picked up their first win since a 1-0 triumph against Rocky Mountain College (Montana) on September 2. In the process, the hosts outshot Wiley (2-7-0) by a 30-4 margin, with a 17-3 edge in shots on goal.
Freshman
Juan Hermenegildo became the 11th different GGC player in program history to score a hat trick when he found the back of the net for the team's first three tallies of the first half – when it took a 5-0 advantage. He found the back of the net in the 18th minute before adding goals during the 22nd and 31st minutes.
Juniors
Toufik Najem and
Ciro Damine each scored two goals, while Najem also added two assists.
Freshman
Nic Peranitsch tallied his first collegiate goal off a crossing pass from junior
Ryuji Kubota in the 35th minute to extend GGC's lead to 4-0.
The Grizzlies put five goals on the scoreboard in each half on Thursday.
Toufik and Damine scored goals 40 seconds apart during the 48th minute as the team placed four balls into the back of the opposing net in the opening 10 minutes of the seconds half.
Freshman
Alejandro Contrera rounded out the balanced scoring attack by netting his team-leading sixth goal of the season, this one coming at the 52nd minute.
Damine led the team with six shot attempts, including five being on goal. Contrera, Hermenegildo and Najem each recorded four shots in the victory.
Coach's Corner
"We needed a performance like this. We created good scoring chances and everybody contributed. The way that we play, I want our wingbacks to get into the attack. I'm happy that Juan got the hat trick. It shows the quality of player that he is," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
Turning Point
Freshman
Juan Hermenegildo scored the first three goals of Thursday's convincing home victory on the opening day of the CAC Classic. Hermenegildo became the 11th player in program history to achieve a hat trick. His goals came in the 18th, 22nd and 31st minutes of the first half.
Goals
18' –
Juan Hermenegildo, GGC (Unassisted)
22' –
Juan Hermenegildo, GGC (
Toufik Najem)
31' –
Juan Hermenegildo, GGC (Unassisted)
35' –
Nic Peranitsch, GGC (
Ryuji Kubota)
43' –
Ciro Damine, GGC (
Toufik Najem)
48' –
Toufik Najem, GGC (Unassisted)
48' –
Ciro Damine, GGC (Unassisted)
52' –
Alejandro Contrera, GGC (
Ciro Damine)
56' – GGC (Own Goal)
61' –
Toufik Najem, GGC (Unassisted)
81' – Habimana Janvier, WU (Aaron Castillo)
83' – Anthony Ulloa, WU (Jayce Graves)
Inside The Numbers
- The Grizzlies outshot Wiley by a 30-4 margin, including a 17-3 edge in shots on goal
- GGC's 10 goals are the most scored since putting 16 shots into the back of the opposing net against Fisk University (Tennessee) on September 13, 2023
- GGC recorded five corner kicks across the 90 minutes of action
- Eleven different Grizzlies registered a shot attempt on Thursday
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 6-5-1 this fall; Wiley drops to 2-7-0 on the season
- The Grizzlies received votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
- Thursday's match was the first meeting between the two colleges
- Georgia Gwinnett College and Wiley are members of the Continental Athletic Conference
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to conclude the CAC Classic against Talladega College (Alabama) on Saturday, October 5, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 2 p.m.
