Three second-half goals sparked the Georgia Gwinnett College men's soccer team to a 4-0 victory against the United States Sports University (Alabama) in the opening game of the Continental Athletic Conference Classic on Sunday afternoon at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The trio of goals came in the final 20 minutes of the contest for the Grizzlies (6-4-1), which were on the winning end after a two-match losing streak.
Junior
Pedro Nunes scored his sixth goal of the season – tying for the team lead – to give the hosts a 2-0 advantage in the 72nd minute.
Two of GGC's four tallies came off penalty kicks. Senior
Francisco Osorio successfully converted a penalty kick in the 78th minute that gave the team a commanding 3-0 lead. It was Osorio's fifth goal of the fall campaign.
Junior
Dylan Cedeno then found the back of the net for the first time this season, with a score in the 87th minute that rounded out the strong second-half performance.
The Grizzlies held a 1-0 halftime advantage after sophomore
Michael Mallaburn buried a penalty kick for a goal in the 14th minute.
GGC outshot United States Sports University by a 17-4 margin, led by Cedeno with four attempts. Mallaburn followed closely behind with three shots.
Goalkeeping duties were split between senior
Dagoberto Romero, who played the first 80 minutes, and freshman
Lucca Schmitel, who finished the match with two saves. The duo combined to record the team's second shutout of the season.
Coach's Corner
"We needed this after losing three out of our last four matches. We had young guys step up. It was a great second half and I'm pleased to see a good team performance. The (match's) second goal (by
Pedro Nunes) created some breathing room for us and helped in managing the adjusted (CAC Classic) weekend schedule (playing matches in back-to-back days)," said Head Coach
Steve DeCou.
Turning Point
The Grizzlies scored three times across the final 20 minutes of the match to pull away for the home triumph. Junior
Pedro Nunes doubled the lead, at 2-0, with an unassisted goal that came in the 73rd minute.
Goals
14' –
Michael Mallaburn, GGC (Penalty kick)
72' –
Pedro Nunes, GGC (Unassisted)
78' –
Francisco Osorio, GGC (Penalty kick)
87' –
Dylan Cedeno, GGC (Unassisted)
Inside The Numbers
- The Grizzlies outshot United States Sports University by a 17-4 margin, including a 10-3 edge in shots on goal
- Junior Pedro Nunes scored his sixth goal of the season to tie for the team lead
- Two of GGC's goals came from penalty kicks
- The Grizzlies were called for offsides violations five times on Sunday
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 6-4-1 in 2026; United States Sports University falls to 4-3-3 on the season
- The Grizzlies have won both meetings against United States Sports University – both by shutout
- The Grizzlies used two goalkeepers, with freshman Lucca Schmitel making two saves in his collegiate debut
- Sunday marked the second time this season that the team has won a match by a 4-0 score, the first being against the University of Pikeville (Kentucky) on September 25
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to conclude the CAC Classic with a match against Florida National University on Monday, October 12, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 11 a.m.
