An early lead propelled the No. 20-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer team to a commanding 8-0 win against Talladega College (Alabama) Wednesday evening at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The Grizzlies (6-3-2) outshot the Tornadoes by a 22-3 margin and attempted 10 corner kicks in the match. Seven different players registered a goal in the home victory.
The team struck first when freshman
Alliyah Rosales found the back of the net in the 26th minute. Junior
Rikke Steenhold and sophomore
Nova Eskelinen quickly followed with goals in the 36th and 37th minutes to stretch the advantage to 3-0 by halftime.
GGC added five goals during a productive second half.
Freshman
Hannah Lorenz executed a shot from a perfect pass by sophomore
Kathrine Lindenberg during the 59th minute.
Junior
Gabriela Rosas netted her team-leading fifth goal of the season in the 73rd minute, extending the lead to 6-0. Classmate
Jessica Fuentes buried a free kick for a goal at the 75-minute mark before freshman
Clara Rosenbrock capped the balanced offensive attack with an unassisted goal in the final 90 seconds of the match.
Talladega (2-4-0) registered three shots over 90 minutes of action, with only one being directed on goal – coming in the second half. However, freshman goalkeeper
Svenja Hoppe stopped the shot in helping manage the shutout with 45 minutes of strong play. Junior
Rirei Sasaki played the first 45 minutes and picked up her fourth win of the season.
Eskelinen and Rosenbrock each tallied their first goals of the 2025 season – increasing the number of players scoring a goal to 16 different Grizzlies.
Coach's Corner
"We looked like a team that was playing its third game in five days as we looked mentally tired from playing the matches, along with all of the scouting reports and preparation going into the contests. In the second half, we started to look for creativity in the final 25 yards. That's something that we have worked on a lot over the last few weeks. The second halves continue to be our thing this year," said Head Coach
Dr. Mike Giuliano.
Turning Point
The Grizzlies eventually broke through on the scoreboard when freshman
Alliyah Rosales found the back of the net in the 26th minute. Ten minutes later, junior
Rikke Steenhold and senior
Nova Eskelinen added two insurance goals exactly 61 seconds apart to secure the match victory.
Goals
26' –
Alliyah Rosales, GGC (
Nicole Mares Rivera and
Clara Rosenbrock)
36' –
Rikke Steenhold, GGC (
Kendra Delgado)
37' –
Nova Eskelinen, GGC (
Gabby Stone)
59' –
Hannah Lorenz, GGC (
Kathrine Lindenberg)
72' – Own Goal, GGC
73' –
Gabriela Rosas, GGC (Unassisted)
75' –
Jessica Fuentes, GGC (Unassisted)
89' –
Clara Rosenbrock, GGC (Unassisted)
Inside The Numbers
- GGC outshot Talladega by a 22-3 margin, including a 13-1 edge in shots on goal
- Seven different GGC players scored a goal in the victory
- The Grizzlies recorded 10 corner kicks over 90 minutes of action
- Freshman Clara Rosenbrock scored her first goal of the season, while also assisting on Wednesday's first tally
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 6-3-2 on the season, Talladega falls to 2-4-0 in 2025
- The Grizzlies are ranked No. 20 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll, released by the national office on Wednesday, October 1
- The team has won all five matches played against the Tornadoes in the all-time series
- Goals by sophomore Nova Eskelinen and freshman Clara Rosenbrock increase the team's total to 16 different goal scorers this fall
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host Bethel University (Tennessee) on Saturday, October 4, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 3:30 p.m.
