The Continental Athletic Conference women's soccer championship match didn't lack drama, excitement or the thrill of victory as top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College suffered a 4-3 penalty-kick shootout loss after battling to a 1-1 draw against No. 2 seed Bellevue University (Nebraska) on Tuesday night at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The Grizzlies (8-8-2) will find out if they have earned an at-large selection to the NAIA national tournament during selection show on Saturday, November 14 at 6 p.m.
Georgia Gwinnett and Bellevue have squared off in the CAC's championship match in Lawrenceville for six straight seasons, with the Grizzlies winning four of those battles – three of which have required extra shootout sessions to determine the champion (with Bellevue coming out on top of two of them).
After playing to a scoreless duel for the first 87 minutes, the two teams swapped goals nearly one minute apart to send the match into overtime.
Maju Serrano gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the 87th when she bent a free kick from 18 yards away into the upper right corner of the goal.
However, GGC showed its true grit and endless spirit by getting the equalizing in dramatic fashion in the 88th minute. A determined sophomore
Hannah Lorenz weaved her way through the Bellevue defense to blast a shot that struck the middle of the top crossbar. With the opposing goalkeeper away from the play, sophomore
Barbora Kadlecova pounced on the loose ball and pushed it into the wide open net. It was her team-leading ninth goal of the season.
Both teams failed to score during two 10-minute overtime sessions, setting up even more drama in the shootout that would take five rounds to determine the champion.
Abril Cura broke a 3-3 tie with a shot into the top lefthand corner of GGC's net. Then, the Grizzlies missed their attempt to tie the session and extend the shootout.
Kadlecova had a match-high five shots as the tournament hosts outshot Bellevue by an 11-8 margin and had a 4-1 edge in shots on goal. Lorenz added three shots for the team.
Senior
Gabriela Rosas and freshman
Johanna Buck joined Kadlecova in being named to the all-tournament team.
Coach's Corner
"Our players showed a lot of character tonight to get behind with three minutes left in a 50-50 game to tie the match in regulation. They didn't give up on themselves. I couldn't have been proud of my players tonight," said Head Coach
Dr. Mike Giuliano.
Turning Point
After battling to a 1-1 draw through 110 minutes of exciting action – a fitting championship clash between two evenly matched teams – Bellevue's Abril Cura broke a 3-3 shootout tie with a goal that wasn't answered by the Grizzlies.
Goals
87' – Maju Serrano, BU (Unassisted)
88' –
Barbora Kadlecova, GGC (
Hannah Lorenz)
Inside The Numbers
- GGC outshot Bellevue by an 11-8 edge in shots and 4-1 advantage in shots on goal
- Sophomore Barbora Kadlecova scored her team-leading ninth goal of the season; She had a match-high five shots in the match
- Sixteen players saw action for the Grizzlies in the match, with four players on the pitch for the entire 110 minutes of regulation and two overtime sessions
- Bellevue had 11 corner kicks versus seven opportunities for GGC
News & Notes
- GGC now stands 8-8-2 on the season; Bellevue will take a 12-2-3 mark into the NAIA tournament
- The Grizzlies are unbeaten over their last four matches
- GGC and Bellevue were playing in the CAC championship match for the sixth straight season, with three of those matches being decided by shootouts
- The Grizzlies now have a 5-1-3 record in the all-time series against the Bruins; being 1-0-1 in two matches this season
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett will find out if it has earned an at-large selection to the NAIA national tournament during the selection show on Saturday, November 14 at 6 p.m.
