The No. 22-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team relied on its stingy defensive unit to have a scoreless draw in a match against Southeastern University (Florida) on Saturday afternoon at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The Grizzlies (3-1-1) were efficient offensively early in the contest, placing a pair of shots on goal during the first half. Freshman
Michael Mallaburn helped set a positive tone with a team-high four shot attempts.
Juniors
Pedro Alejandro and
Francisco Osorio joined sophomore
Pedro Nunes in each registering one shot.
Freshman goalkeeper
Victor Darub made four stellar saves to collect his third shutout of the season.
Southeastern (2-3-2 and receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll) managed to have a 5-2 shot advantage during the second half. Goalkeeper Noah Murray-Hawkins recorded three saves to keep the Grizzlies off the scoreboard. Fabio De Paula attempted a match-high five shots for the visitors.
Saturday was GGC's first match in 12 days.
Coach's Corner
"We really limited them defensively to a couple of chances and Victor made some big saves. We were able to hurt their high line (defensive shape) during the first half. They (Southeastern) made some good second-half adjustments and we struggled a little bit in the final third of the pitch (threatening the opposing goal) throughout the match," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
Turning Point
The Grizzlies posted their third shutout of the season and limited Southeastern to four shots on goal across the 90 minutes of action. Freshman
Victor Darub stood tall in goal for the hosts, making four saves to preserve the shutout draw.
Inside The Numbers
- Southeastern outshot the Grizzlies by a 9-7 margin
- Freshman goalkeeper Victor Darub made four saves to record his third shutout of the season
- GGC held a slight 3-2 edge in corner kicks across Saturday's 90 minutes of action
- Freshman Michael Mallaburn attempted a team-high four shots in the match
News & Notes
- GGC now stands 3-1-1 on the season; Southeastern is 2-3-2 this fall
- The Grizzlies were ranked No. 22 in the first regular season NAIA Top 25 poll; Southeastern received votes in the same poll
- Georgia Gwinnett College continues to lead the series with the Fire by a 4-0-2 margin
- Saturday's match opened a four-match home stand for GGC
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host SCAD Savannah (Georgia) on Wednesday, September 17, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 7:15 p.m.
