The winning ways have continued for the Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team, picking up a 3-0 triumph against Bryan College (Tennessee) in the Grizzlies' 2024 home opener Saturday night during the Labor Day Grizzly Classic.

GGC (4-0-0) posted its second straight shutout.

Freshmen Kevin Diaz and Josefa Simao found the back of the net in the 24th and 28th minutes, respectively, to give the hosts a 2-0 first-half lead. Diaz bent a shot from the top of the 18-yard box inside the left post to open the scoring. Later, Simao netted his second tally of the season to double the team's advantage.

GGC limited Bryan (0-3-0) to just three shots across the 90 minutes of action. Junior goalkeeper Dagoberto Romero stopped two shots on goal to post his first career shutout.

Junior Ciro Damine added a second-half goal when we weaved around Bryan goalkeeper Jack Smith to bury a shot into the open net in the 84th minute.

The hosts registered 16 shots, led by nine shots during the first half. Ten of the team's shots were on goal, highlighted by sophomore Joshua Orue having four shot attempts. Freshman Alejandro Contrera chipped in two shots and contributed an assist on Simao's first-half tally. Sophomore Djordje Djurasinovic also chipped in two shots in the victory.


  "I'm happy with the shutout. It was a good performance, with everybody contributing. We were excited to play at home for the first time. We built our attacks well from the back and that allowed us to maintain possession. When we did lose the ball, our transition was very good and we defended extremely well," said Head Coach Steve DeCou.
  The Grizzlies tallied two goals during a four-minute stretch of the first half to grab momentum of the contest. Freshmen Kevin Diaz and Josefa Simoa found the back of the net in the 24th and 28th minutes, respectively. GGC secured the victory by limiting Bryan to three shot attempts, with two being on goal, during the match.
  24' – Kevin Diaz, GGC (unassisted)
28' – Josefa Simao, GGC (Alejandro Contrera)
84' – Ciro Damine, GGC (unassisted)
 

• The Grizzlies held a 16-3 shot advantage, with 10 shots being on goal
• Freshman Josefa Simao scored his second goal of the 2024 season
• Both teams recorded two corner kicks across the 90 minutes of action
• Junior goalkeeper Dagoberto Romero made two saves in posting the team's second straight shutout and his first as a Grizzly

• GGC improves to 4-0-0 in 2024; Bryan drops to 0-3-0 this fall
• The Grizzlies received votes in the first NAIA Top 25 poll of the 2024 regular season
• Georgia Gwinnett College has won the last three encounters to lead the series by a 4-2-2 record
• The team is 9-0-4 all-time in home openers

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to close out the Labor Day Grizzly Classic with a home match against Rocky Mountain College (Montana) on Monday, September 2, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 11 a.m.