A determined Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team captured its first conference title since 2019 with a convincing 3-0 victory over Bellevue University (Nebraska) in Tuesday night's championship match of the Continental Athletic Conference tournament at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

The victory automatically qualifies the Grizzlies (12-2-3) into the NAIA national tournament.

In a fast-paced match that had the teams exchanging possession of the ball, the outcome was determined early when sophomore Alejandro Contrera successfully converted a penalty kick in the second minute to give GGC a quick 1-0 advantage.

The tournament hosts and top-seeded team outshot Bellevue (10-8-2) by an 8-5 margin during the first half.

Midway through the second half, junior Errin Leak extended GGC's lead by executing a shot from midfield, lofting the ball over Bellevue goalkeeper Kaden Simpson and inside the right goal post. The goal gave the team a 2-0 lead in the 66th minute.

"I saw their center back not paying much attention and the goalkeeper was out of position. I had some time and space so I thought I would take a chance. As soon as I kicked it, I felt like I put a good strike on it and it went into the goal," said Leak.

Later, sophomore Djordje Djurasinovic scored in the 86th minute to put an exclamation point on the program's six years of frustration without a conference title. It was his eighth goal of the season.

GGC placed nine of its 13 shots on goal and outshot the Bruins by a 13-9 margin.

Freshman goalkeeper Victor Darub made four saves to post the shutout.

"Bellevue asked a lot of questions out of your defense with their rotations. The guys did a great job of organizing everything defensively and winning their individual battles," said DeCou after the Grizzlies captured their sixth conference championship in program history.


 
Coach's Corner 
"It's been too long (2019) and being referred as Conference Champions sounds wonderful. Getting ahead in less than five minutes of the match put them (Bellevue) on their heels and changed their game plan. A moment or early goal in big games can swing momentum in your favor," said Head Coach Steve DeCou.
 
Turning Point 
Sophomore Alejandro Contrera drew a penalty and converted the opportunity into a goal two minutes into the contest. Junior Errin Leak helped seal the title by scoring on a shot from midfield after intercepting a pass and floating the ball over the drawn out opposing goalkeeper. That doubled GGC's lead to 2-0 in the 66th minute.
 
Goals 
2' – Alejandro Contrera, GGC (Penalty kick)
66' – Errin Leak, GGC (Unassisted)
85' – Djordje Djurasinovic, GGC (Ousmane Fall and Victor Darub)
 
Inside The Numbers

• GGC outshot Bellevue by a 13-9 margin, including a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal
• Freshman goalkeeper Victor Darub made four saves to secure the shutout
• Bellevue attempted eight corner kicks, compared to five recorded by the Grizzlies across Tuesday's 90 minutes of action
• Sophomore Alejandro Contrera scored his 10th goal of the season

News & Notes 

• Georgia Gwinnett improves to 12-2-3 this fall; Bellevue drops to 10-8-2 on the season
• GGC was ranked No. 12 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll; Bellevue received votes in the same poll
• The team stood as the No. 1 seed in the CAC tournament; Bellevue was the No. 2 seed and five-time defending champions
• Georgia Gwinnett College won its sixth conference championship and first since the 2019 season

Up Next 
Georgia Gwinnett College will find out its opponent and postseason destination during the NAIA Selection Show on Friday, November 14, at 6 p.m.