The No. 17-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team collected its second straight home draw, battling SCAD Savannah (Georgia) to a 2-2 tie on Wednesday evening at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The Grizzlies (3-1-2) outshot SCAD Savannah (1-3-3) by a commanding 16-9 margin with the hosts attempting eight shots in each half. Two of the host's shots struck the opposing goal post and a header at the 81-minute mark hit the crossbar before bouncing around in front of the goal but didn't cross the goal line.
GGC exerted offensive pressure early in the match and freshman
Ousmane Fall took advantage of an opportunity to score an unassisted goal in the 16th minute. His shot from the center of the 18-yard box found the right side of the goal.
The team's other goal came in the 38th minute after sophomore
Alejandro Contrera drilled a shot into the upper left corner of the Bees' goal.
SCAD Savannah (1-3-3) tied the contest, at 1-1, during the 27th minute on a tally from Kimi Husler and once again for the final time on Mario Goic's fifth goal of the season. An initial save by GGC's freshman goalkeeper
Victor Darub led to Husler and Nils Vallotto swinging the ball from the left side to the right side of the box and Goic's left-footed shot bounced off the right goal post.
Darub finished the contest with seven saves, including a result-clinching save on a shot by Sebastian Gomez in the closing seconds preserving the home draw.
The Grizzlies also threatened as Contrera hit the right goal post in the 11th minute, junior
Pedro Alejandro connected with the right post in the 74th minute, and freshman
Luka Colic nearly gave GGC the lead late when his header at the 81-minute mark hit the crossbar.
Contrera and Fall each registered four shots to lead the team's offensive attack.
Coach's Corner
"We were much better going forward today, scoring twice and having several chances for more. Overall, we just weren't good enough to get the result we wanted. We're not here just to be average, our aim is to be excellent. Sometimes you need to have these moments. You learn from these games and we'll be better because of it," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
Turning Point
Freshman goalkeeper
Victor Darub made some critical saves down the stretch of Wednesday's match to preserve the 2-2 draw. SCAD Savannah had a shot turned away by the goalkeeper with 13 seconds left in the match on a counter-attack by the visiting Bees.
Goals
16' –
Ousmane Fall, GGC (Unassisted)
27' – Kimi Husler, SCAD (Unassisted)
38' –
Alejandro Contrera, GGC (Unassisted)
69' – Mario Goic, SCAD (Nils Vallotto and Kimi Husler)
Inside The Numbers
- The Grizzlies outshot SCAD Savannah by a 16-9 margin
- Freshman goalkeeper Victor Darub made seven saves to increase his season total to 20
- GGC recorded five corner kicks across the 90 minutes of action
- Sophomore Alejandro Contrera and freshman Ousmane Fall both scored their team-leading fourth goals of the season
News & Notes
- GGC now stands at 3-1-2 on the season; SCAD Savannah is 1-3-3 this fall
- The Grizzlies are ranked No. 17 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll, released by the national office on Wednesday, September 17
- GGC continues to lead the series with SCAD Savannah by a 5-1-2 margin
- The team played the second of four straight home matches on Wednesday
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host the University of Pikeville (Kentucky) on Saturday, September 20, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 1 p.m.
