The Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer team closed out the regular season with a dominant offensive performance and is now primed for postseason play after a 4-0 victory Wednesday evening at Milligan University in Elizabethton, Tennessee.
The Grizzlies (7-8-1) had a season-high 45 shots, with 19 being on goal, in posting its second straight victory – both by shutout – and winning their third straight October road match.
Next up is the Continental Athletic Conference championship tournament, a four-team event being hosted by GGC on November 8-10 at the Grizzly Soccer Complex. The tournament winner will represent the conference in the NAIA national tournament.
GGC set the offensive tone in the first 20 minutes of the match, posting 13 shots before Milligan managed its first shot. The visitors had a 22-1 shot advantage before finally putting a ball in the back of the net.
That first goal came in the 38th minute when sophomore
Barbora Kadlecova cleaned up a shot from freshman
Frida Bang. Milligan goalkeeper Christain Davis made the initial save, but the ball squirted away in front of the net. Kadlecova was in the right place and time, recovering the loose ball and striking it past a diving Davis for her team-leading eighth goal of the season.
The Grizzlies' next shot resulted in a score during the final seconds of the first half. Junior
Nova Eskelinen placed the ball into the left side of the Milligan net after receiving a perfectly executed pass into the box from sophomore
Kendra Delgado. Eskelinen has now scored four goals this season while Delgado has had four assists.
Bang and sophomore
Alliyah Rosales worked together to score the team's third goal. A pass from Rosales led Bang as she crossed in front of the opposing net. She swiftly dribbled the ball around two defenders and blasted a shot into the righthand corner of the net in the 57th minute of the match. It was Bang's second goal of her initial college season.
Freshman
Katherine Maguire capped the team's impressive offensive performance with an unassisted goal, her first tally of the season, in the 87th minute.
Eight different players recorded shots for GGC in the match. Sophomore
Hannah Lorenz had a match-high 10 shots, while senior
Jessica Fuentes and Rosales had five shots apiece. Kadlecova added three shots.
Senior goalkeeper
Rirei Sasaki posted her second shutout of the season. She made two saves as Milligan was limited to only four shots and one corner kick across 90 minutes of action.
Coach's Corner
"One of our three goals in preparing for postseason play was to get back to outshooting our opponents. We did that today against a solid Milligan team (by a 45-4 shot margin). It feels like we might be peaking at the right time," said Head Coach
Dr. Mike Giuliano.
Turning Point
The Grizzlies controlled the pace of play early, taking the first 13 shots of the match, and had a 22-1 edge in shots in the first half. Two of the team's four goals came in that opening 45-minute stretch as sophomore
Barbora Kadlecova and junior
Nova Eskelinen found the back of the net.
Goals
38' –
Barbora Kadlecova, GGC (Unassisted)
45' –
Nova Eskelinen, GGC (
Kendra Delgado)
57' –
Frida Bang, GGC (
Alliyah Rosales)
87' –
Katherine Maguire, GGC (Unassisted)
Inside The Numbers
- GGC held a commanding 45-4 shot edge, including a 19-2 advantage in shots on goal
- Sophomore Barbora Kadlecova now leads the team with eight goals this season
- Sophomore Hannah Lorenz had a match-high 10 shots on Wednesday
- Senior Rirei Sasaki made two saves in recording her second shutout of the season
News & Notes
- GGC closes out the regular season with a 7-8-1 record; Milligan drops to 7-8-2 on the season
- The Grizzlies' 45 shots were the most in a match since the team had 37 shots against Montreat College (North Carolina) in the season opener
- The team has outscored its last two opponents by a 12-0 margin
- GGC's strength of schedule has been calculated as being the second toughest among NAIA teams this season, with the team having faced seven top-25 opponents
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College will now prepare to compete for the Continental Athletic Conference championship in a four-team tournament that begins Sunday, November 8, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex in Lawrenceville. The tournament's seedings and schedule will be announced later by CAC officials.
