A pair of second half goals propelled the No. 1 seed Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team past No. 4 seed Carolina University (North Carolina) 2-1 in the semifinal match of the Continental Athletic Conference Championship Tournament on Sunday evening at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
GGC (11-2-3) advances to the title match for the second consecutive season and will face No. 2 seed Bellevue University (Nebraska) on Tuesday, November 11, at 7 p.m. The tournament hosts will be seeking its first conference title since 2019.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, the Grizzlies (11-2-3) tied the match in the 55th minute when freshman
Ousmane Fall found the back of the net after a crossing pass from freshman
Michael Mallaburn.
Fall, recipient of the 2025 CAC Player and Newcomer of the Year awards, scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season.
The tournament host took the lead when sophomore
Alejandro Contrera scored from the top of the 18-yard box during the 73rd minute. Contrera was the 2024 CAC Player of the Year.
Carolina (8-5-3) struck first in the 16th minute on an unassisted goal from Will McCamley.
The Grizzlies outshot Carolina by a 9-2 margin in the first half, with the aid of a steady 15-20 miles per hour wind. However, the team turned the tables by scoring both goals while playing into the breeze.
GGC outshot Carolina by a 13-7 margin, with 10 shots being on goal. Freshman goalkeeper
Victor Darub made two saves in the match, both coming in the second half. The hosts also recorded eight corner kicks in Sunday's match.
Coach's Corner
"The difference was the change in energy, especially in the midfield, from first to second half. Michael (Mallaburn) was up for the challenge. Our two first all-conference team guys and the last two Players of the Year (
Ousmane Fall and
Alejandro Contrera) came through, which is exactly what we needed," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
Turning Point
The last two CAC Players of the Year delivered goals in the second half as the Grizzlies overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit. Freshman
Ousmane Fall, the 2025 recipient, tied the match in the 55th minute. Then, sophomore
Alejandro Contrera, the 2024 honoree, drilled a shot from the top of the 18-yard box inside the right goal post to net the match winner in the 73rd minute.
Goals
16' – Will McCamley, CU (Unassisted)
55' –
Ousmane Fall, GGC (
Michael Mallaburn and
Josefa Simao)
73' –
Alejandro Contreras, GGC (
Gabriel Martins)
Inside The Numbers
- GGC outshot Carolina by a 13-7 margin, including a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal
- Freshman Ousmane Fall scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season
- GGC recorded eight corner kicks across the 90 minutes of action
- Six different Grizzlies registered a shot attempt
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 11-2-3 in 2025; Carolina concludes the 2025 season with an 8-5-3 record
- The Grizzlies were ranked No. 12 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
- GGC stood as the No. 1 seed; Carolina was the No. 4 seed in the postseason tournament
- Sunday's match was the first meeting between the two colleges
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play No. 2 seed Bellevue University (Nebraska) in the 2025 CAC Men's Soccer Championship Tournament title match on Tuesday, November 11, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 7 p.m.
