Sophomore Djordje Djurasinovic had a breakout performance with four second-half goals – the most in a Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer match since the program's inaugural 2012 campaign – as the Grizzlies' offense scored a commanding 9-1 home triumph Saturday afternoon against the University of Pikeville (Kentucky) at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

The No. 17-ranked Grizzlies (4-1-2) remain unbeaten in their four-match home stand after collecting a pair of draws in their two most recent matches.

Djurasinovic had never scored a goal in 23 matches proudly wearing the Green and Gray. However, the Belgrade, Serbia, native tallied four goals in a seven-minute span midway through the second half as GGC expanded upon a 3-1 halftime advantage.

His first goal came in the 70th minute by heading in a corner kick from junior Pedro Alejandro. Just over a minute later, Djurasinovic buried a shot into an open net after sophomore Kevin Diaz slipped a pass from the right side, giving the hosts a 5-1 lead.

Djurasinovic completed a hat trick with an unassisted goal in the 76th minute before scoring his fourth goal of the contest 50 seconds later by redirecting a crossing pass from sophomore Gabriel Martins.

"This was one of the best offensive outputs that we've had in a long time. We got goals from everybody," said Head Coach Steve DeCou.

Freshman Michael Mallaburn headed a goal from a pass by Martins to score the team's sixth goal of the match in the 73rd minute.

Junior Joshua Orue capped the second-half offensive surge in the 86th minute with his first goal of the 2025 campaign.

The hosts raced out to an early 2-0 advantage with sophomore Alejandro Contrera scoring his team-leading fifth goal of the season just 22 seconds into the match. It is the third time that GGC has scored in the opening minute in program history.

Diaz notched his first goal of the season during the 14th minute before sophomore Nic Peranitsch capitalized on a one-on-one scoring opportunity to give the Grizzlies a 3-0 lead during the 34th minute.


 
Coach's Corner
"I don't think the score was indictive of the game. They (Pikeville) are a much better team than what it became. They asked some questions from us. The bench came through in a big way and our depth wore them down on a hot and humid day," said Head Coach Steve DeCou.

Turning Point
Sophomore Djordje Djurasinovic scored the fourth most goals in a match in program history with tallies in the 70th, 71st, 76th, and 77th minutes. He led the way as the Grizzlies placed six balls into the back of the net across the final 20 minutes of Saturday's victory.
 
Goals
1' – Alejandro Contrera, GGC (Unassisted)
14' – Kevin Diaz, GGC (Alejandro Contrera)
34' – Nic Peranitsch, GGC (Unassisted)
44' – Bruno Arenal, UPIKE (Penalty kick)
70' – Djordje Djurasinovic, GGC (Pedro Alejandro)
71' – Djordje Djurasinovic, GGC (Unassisted)
73' – Michael Mallaburn, GGC (Gabriel Martins)
76' – Djordje Djurasinovic, GGC (Unassisted)
77' – Djordje Djurasinovic, GGC (Gabriel Martins)
86' – Joshua Orue, GGC (Diego Pereira)
 
Inside The Numbers

• The Grizzlies outshot Pikeville by a 16-8 margin, including a 12-4 advantage in shots on goal
• Sophomore Djordje Djurasinovic scored four goals – the first in his 24 GGC matches
• Twenty-five different GGC players appeared in Saturday's triumph
• Sophomore Gabriel Martins recorded a pair of assists

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 4-1-2 in 2025; Pikeville falls to 4-3-1 on the season
• The Grizzlies are ranked No. 17 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
• Saturday's match marked the first meeting between the two programs
• The team scored six of its nine goals during the second half

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to conclude its current four-match home stand against Tennessee Wesleyan University on Wednesday, September 24, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 7 p.m.