Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer junior Jessica Fuentes successfully converted a penalty kick in the 87th minute to complete the largest comeback in program history, scoring three successive second-half goals to earn a 3-3 draw against Xavier University of Louisiana on Sunday afternoon at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

The Grizzlies (2-2-1) came back from a 3-0 deficit by scoring a trio of goals across the final 19 minutes of the match.

The team had previously rallied from trailing by two-goal margins twice previously – for a pair of 3-2 road wins, the first against West Virginia Tech in 2016 and then at the University of Mobile (Alabama) in 2018.

Freshman Kendra Delgado started the comeback with her first collegiate goal in the 71st minute off a pass from junior Camila Madriz Figueroa.

The Grizzlies kept the momentum going by adding a second goal 10 minutes later from junior Gabriela Rosas on a rebound from an initial shot by senior Natalie Maguire.

GGC's third goal came in the 87th minute on Fuentes' successful penalty kick.

Each goal scored was the first this fall for each Grizzly player.

Xavier (1-1-1) built a 3-0 advantage behind a pair of first-half goals from Samira Paiz in the eighth and 37th minutes. Another tally came from Anita Roese in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Both teams registered 16 shot attempts, with 13 of GGC's shots coming during the second 45-minute period. Eleven of the Grizzlies' shots were on goal. Freshman Hannah Lorenz joined Madriz Figueroa, Fuentes and Maguire in each recording three shots.

The visitors attempted nine corner kicks across Sunday's 90 minutes of action.

GGC junior goalkeeper Rirei Sasaki stopped six shots in her second match in 2025.


 
Coach's Corner
"We showed great heart to come back. We are struggling against disciplined offensive teams, but our superpower is our depth and it eventually got the better of things in today's match. We were more fit than they were," said Head Coach Dr. Mike Giuliano.
 
Turning Point
Junior Jessica Fuentes successfully converted a penalty kick with less than four minutes remaining in the match to square the contest at 3-3. GGC scored all three goals in the final 19 minutes to rally from a 3-0 deficit.
 
Goals
8' – Samira Roper, XULA (Alina Paiz)
37' – Samira Roper, XULA (Unassisted)
71' – Kendra Delgado, GGC (Camila Madriz Figueroa)
82' – Gabriela Rosas, GGC (Natalie Maguire)
87' – Jessica Fuentes, GGC (Penalty kick)
 
Inside The Numbers

• GGC and Xavier each recorded 16 shots, with the Grizzlies attempting 13 shots during the second half
• Junior Jessica Fuentes and freshman Kendra Delgado scored the first goals of their GGC careers on Sunday
• The Gold Nuggets held a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks
• Four different Grizzlies attempted three shots on Sunday

News & Notes

• GGC now stands 2-2-1 on the season; Xavier is 1-1-1 in 2025
• The Grizzlies was No. 17 in the first regular season NAIA Top 25 poll; Xavier received votes in the same poll
• GGC continues to lead the series with Xavier with a victory and a draw in two encounters
• Sunday's three-goal comeback marked the largest rally in program history

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to conclude the home stand against the University of Mobile (Alabama) on Saturday, September 13, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 11 a.m.