Junior
Ciro Damine drilled a volley from 15 yards into the left side of the net in the 102nd minute to lift Georgia Gwinnett College past Florida National University 1-0 in a double-overtime thriller in Monday afternoon's semifinal match of the 2024 Continental Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championships at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Freshman
Alejandro Contrera delivered a quick pass from the right side of the 18-yard box to Damine, who quickly attempted a shot past a diving goalkeeper Juan Manual Fermoselle.
Scoring chances were few and far between in the defensive battle between the No. 2-seeded Grizzlies (11-5-2) and No. 6-seeded Conquistadors (5-8-2). Both teams recorded five shots during the 90 minutes of regulation.
GGC attempted three shots across the two overtime periods.
Freshman
Hugo Luengo led the victors with three shots, while Contrera attempted two shots in the match.
Junior goalkeeper
Dagoberto Romero posted the shutout in goal and anchored a defensive unit that did not allow a goal on goal for the duration of the match.
The Grizzlies will face top-seeded Bellevue University (Nebraska) in the championship match on Wednesday, November 13, at 4 p.m. The Bruins defeated No. 4 seed Talladega College (Alabama) 4-0 in Monday's other semifinal contest.
GGC has advanced to the tournament championship match for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign.
Coach's Corner
"I'm extremely proud of the boys' performance. It was a great defensive effort against a team that has had our number during the past couple of years. Both sides found it difficult to generate scoring chances. Ciro (Damine) managed to find a way to move us on and now we look forward to playing Wednesday for the conference title," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
Turning Point
Junior
Ciro Damine entered the match in overtime and made his presence felt by scoring the match-winning goal in the early minutes of the second 10-minute extra session. He drilled a shot from 15 yards into the left side of the goal and past the diving FNU goalkeeper.
Goals
102' –
Ciro Damine, GGC (
Alejandro Contrera)
Inside The Numbers
- The Grizzlies held an 8-5 shot advantage, including a 3-0 edge during overtime
- Junior Ciro Damine scored his eighth goal of the season on Monday
- GGC has won its last three overtime contests, with all three decisions coming in double overtime
- Junior goalkeeper Dagoberto Romero posted his fifth shutout of the 2024 season
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 11-5-2 on the season; Florida National concludes the 2024 season with a 5-8-2 record
- The Grizzlies received votes in the final regular season NAIA Top 25 poll
- The team has advanced to the conference tournament championship match for the first time since 2020-21
- Georgia Gwinnett College stood as the tournament's No. 2 seed; Florida National was the No. 6 seed
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host top-seeded Bellevue University (Nebraska) in the 2024 Continental Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championship match on Wednesday, November 13, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 4 p.m.
