The Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team scored the first two goals only to see the University of Northwestern Ohio come back with two goals of its own, resulting in a 2-2 draw in a match played Saturday afternoon at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky.
Goals for the Grizzlies (5-1-1) came from freshman
Alejandro Contrera, unassisted in the 35th minute, and junior
Ciro Damine, in the 51st minute.
Northwestern Ohio (1-2-1) took advantage of two set pieces to score both of its goals in the final 22 minutes of the match. Natxo Sanchez buried a free kick to trim the deficit to 2-1 in the 68th minute.
Later, Ryan Hennessy came away from a scramble play in front of the GGC goal to score the tying goal during the 82nd minute of the match.
Both teams registered seven shots on goal across the 90 minutes of action. The Grizzlies held a 15-9 advantage, with Contrera having a match-high six shot attempts. The team also took seven of the eight corner kicks in the match.
Damine had three shots, while freshman
Josefa Simao rounded out the GGC players with multiple shot attempts by having two shots.
Contrera scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season.
Five of GGC's first seven matches have come away from the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
"They (UNOH) are a team that never quits. We are not happy because we missed some chances. It was a much-improved performance from Thursday. We've got a group that is united and together. So, there is a lot to take away from this weekend," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
The Grizzlies were unable to hold onto a 2-0 lead, allowing two goals in the final 22 minutes of Saturday's match. GGC added to its 1-0 halftime advantage when junior
Ciro Damine found the back of the net for the second time this fall with a goal in the 51st minute.
35' –
Alejandro Contrera, GGC (
Ciro Damine)
51' –
Ciro Damine, GGC (
Djordje Djurasinovic)
68' – Natxo Sanchez, UNOH (unassisted)
82' – Ryan Hennessy, UNOH (unassisted)
- The Grizzlies outshot Northwestern Ohio by a 15-9 margin
- Both teams attempted seven shots on goal across the 90 minutes of action
- GGC recorded seven of the eight corner kicks in the match
- Freshman Alejandro Contrera registered a match-high six shots
- GGC is 5-1-1 in 2024; Northwestern Ohio stands 1-2-1 this fall
- The Grizzlies received votes in the first NAIA Top 25 poll of the 2024 regular season
- Saturday marked the second draw in the three meetings between the two programs
- The Grizzlies defeated Brescia in their other neutral-site contest on August 24
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host No. 20-ranked University of the Cumberlands (Kentucky) on Saturday, September 14, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 7 p.m.
