Three unanswered goals in the second half propelled No. 12-ranked University of the Cumberlands (Kentucky) to a 4-2 victory against No. 21 Georgia Gwinnett College in a highly competitive NAIA men's soccer match Saturday night at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

The Grizzlies (5-2-1) responded after conceding a goal in the opening 10 minutes by registering two goals during a dominate first-half performance. Freshman Alejandro Contrera drilled a shot into the upper right corner of the opposing goal from the top of the 18-yard box in the 26th minute to square the match at 1-1.

Then, freshman Kevin Diaz gave the hosts a 2-1 lead in the 30th minute by scoring after stealing the ball from Cumberlands' goalkeeper.

GGC outshot the Patriots by an 11-1 margin in the opening 45 minutes of play. Cumberlands' early goal by Bart-Jan Braams came from a corner kick.

The tables were turned in the second half as the visitors registered 10 shots. Nicolas Caicedo evened the match, at 2-2, in the 54th minute after receiving a pass from Mario Fernandez. Later, Shuma Sasaki scored an unassisted goal to give the team a 3-2 advantage in the 63rd minute.

Salvador Martinez netted an insurance goal on a counter-attack following passes from Hugo Champalloux and Fernandez to extend Cumberlands' advantage to 4-2 in the 82nd minute.

The Grizzlies outshot the Patriots by a 16-11 margin, led by sophomore Joshua Orue and freshman Hugo Luengo each tallying three shots. Both teams managed to attempt six corner kicks on Saturday.
 
Coach's Corner
"We had some of our best play of the year during the first half. Offensively and defensively, we did what we wanted. We just didn't in the second half. We will watch the film and figure it out. Overall, our midfield play was just not up to the same level as in the first half. That's why they got the equalizer and the third goal early in the second half," said Head Coach Steve DeCou.
 
Turning Point
Cumberlands scored three unanswered goals in the second half after the Grizzlies played one of their best halves of the 2024 season. GGC outshot the Patriots by an 11-1 margin in the opening 45 minutes and scored twice after allowing a goal in the opening 10 minutes of the match.
 
Goals
10' – Bart-Jan Braams, UC (Gerard Liao and Emil Skursch)
26' – Alejandro Contrera, GGC (Unassisted)
30' – Kevin Diaz, GGC (Unassisted)
54' – Nicolas Caicedo, UC (Mario Fernandez)
63' – Shuma Sasaki, UC (Unassisted)
82' – Salvador Martinez, UC (Hugo Champalloux and Mario Fernandez)
 
Inside The Numbers

• GGC held a 16-11 shot advantage, highlighted by an 11-1 margin during the first half
• Freshman Alejandro Contrera scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season
• Sophomore Joshua Orue and freshman Hugo Luengo led the Grizzlies with each having three shot attempts
• Both teams attempted six corner kicks across the 90 minutes of action

News & Notes

• GGC drops to 5-2-1 on the season; Cumberlands improves to 5-0-1 in 2024
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 21 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll, released on September 11; Cumberlands stood No. 12 in the same poll
• GGC has outshot seven of its eight opponents this season
• The team is 2-1-0 at the Grizzly Soccer Complex this fall

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to travel to Tennessee Wesleyan University on Tuesday, September 17, at Athens, Tennessee, starting at 3 p.m.