Freshman
Ousmane Fall registered a hat trick as the No. 15-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team closed out its regular season home season with a 5-1 win on Senior Day against Talladega College (Alabama) on Friday evening at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The hat trick marked the first of Fall's career and the first for the Grizzlies (9-2-3) during the 2025 campaign. He now leads the team with 12 goals for the season.
After the visitors struck with a goal from Saeed Charles in the ninth minute, the Grizzlies answered with five straight goals. Fall scored the first of his three goals in the 14th minute after receiving a long pass from senior
Olu Sonubi.
Later, junior
Francisco Osorio set up Fall to give GGC a 2-1 lead in the 27th minute.
A combination play in the 39th minute with passes from sophomores
Gabriel Martins and
Pedro Nunes allowed sophomore
Diego Pereira to be open in front of the opposing goal to extend the team's advantage to 3-1.
Fall capped off the hat trick shortly into the second half with an unassisted goal.
Then, in the 69th minute, sophomore
Djordje Djurasinovic scored GGC's final goal of the match after receiving a pass from the right side of the pitch by classmate
Nic Peranitsch. Djurasinovic has scored a career-high seven goals this fall.
The Grizzlies attempted a season-high 18 corner kicks, including 10 during the second half.
Freshman goalkeeper
Victor Darub and senior goalkeeper
Dagoberto Romero combined with the defensive unit to limit Talladega (1-6-0) to just five shot attempts, including three being on goal.
Meanwhile, GGC held a commanding 19-5 shot edge in the contest, highlighted by 12 shots in the second half. Fall paced the team with four shot attempts (scoring three times), while sophomore
Alejandro Contrera added three shots in the triumph.
The Grizzlies had a 7-2-2 record in home matches during the regular season.
Prior to the contest, the program honored seniors
Esteban Correa,
Ryuji Kubota,
Olu Sonubi, and
Nadav Weizmann during Senior Day festivities.
Coach's Corner
"The guys remained calm (after the early 1-0 deficit) and stuck with the gameplan. When we do that, we're a very tough team to play against. Ousmane (Fall) is a special player. The seniors have been through some hard times. They have been able to lead by example and have never stopped believing and working. It was good to see them recognized tonight," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
Turning Point
The Grizzlies had a quick response after the Tornadoes took a 1-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes of the match. Five minutes later, freshman
Ousmane Fall squared the match and then tallied his second goal of the first half to give GGC a 2-1 lead. Fall capped off his hat trick with a goal in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.
Goals
9' – Saeed Charles, TC (Unassisted)
13' –
Ousmane Fall, GGC (
Olu Sonubi and
Amadou Diop)
26' –
Ousmane Fall, GGC (
Francisco Osorio)
38' –
Diego Pereira, GGC (
Gabriel Martins and
Pedro Nunes)
52' –
Ousmane Fall, GGC (Unassisted)
69' –
Djordje Djurasinovic, GGC (
Nic Peranitsch)
Inside The Numbers
- GGC outshot Talladega by a 19-5 margin, including a 13-3 edge in shots on goal
- The team attempted a season-high 18 corner kicks in Friday's match
- Freshman Ousmane Fall tallied the team's first hat trick to raise his season total to 12 goals
- Sophomore Djordje Djurasinovic netted his seventh goal of the fall campaign
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 9-2-3 this fall; Talladega drops to 1-6-0 in 2025
- The Grizzlies are ranked No. 15 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
- The team now leads the series with Talladega by a 7-1 margin
- Prior to Friday's contest the program honored seniors Esteban Correa, Ryuji Kubota, Olu Sonubi, and Nadav Weizmann during special Senior Day festivities
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to conclude the regular season with a match at Thomas University on Saturday, October 25, in Thomasville, Georgia, starting at 1 p.m.
