Survive and advance was the theme of the night as the Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer team defeated Hesston College (Kansas) in Saturday evening's Continental Athletic Conference tournament semifinal match at the Grizzly Soccer Complex that statistically wasn't as close as the final 2-1 score would indicate.
The top-seeded Grizzlies (8-8-1) will now play for the CAC championship against rival and No. 2 seed Bellevue University (Nebraska) on their home pitch Tuesday, November 10, at 7 p.m. This will be the sixth straight season in which the two teams will be squaring off in the conference final. The stakes are once again high as this year's winner will receive the CAC's bid to the NAIA national tournament.
GGC dominated play throughout its semifinal match, outshooting No. 4 seed Hesston by a commanding 26-1 advantage, including an 8-1 edge in shots on goal, and had all 10 corner kicks in the match.
However, the Larks (9-5-3) kept things close with a packed in defensive effort and a strong performance from goalkeeper Ashleigh Williams, who made six saves in the eight shots she faced. Many of the Grizzlies' other shots hit both goal posts, the top crossbar and scampered along the goal line, but didn't wander into the net.
GGC's two scoring efforts, both unassisted, came in the first 16 minutes of the match. First, sophomore
Hannah Lorenz stole an errant pass deep in Hesston's end of the pitch and then evaded Williams to score in the fifth minute of play.
Then, senior
Jessica Fuentes successfully dribbled her way through the opposing defense before finding the back of the net with a shot in the 16th minute.
Halfway in between, the Larks scored their lone goal – on their only shot of the night – as Rena Itoga found an opening in the GGC defense and lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper's outstretched arms.
Sophomore
Barbora Kadlecova had a team-high five shots – among 12 players to manage a shot in the strong offensive attack. Senior
Gabriela Rosas had four shots while sophomore
Kendra Delgado and Lorenz each had three shots.
Coach's Corner
"You shouldn't outshoot an opponent by a 26-1 margin and win by a goal. But give Hesston credit, they gave us all we could handle and their goalkeeper did a great job. Now it's onto the big one (CAC title match against Bellevue University). A championship is what we expect to be playing for every year and that's the case once again," said Head Coach
Dr. Mike Giuliano.
Turning Point
Sophomore
Hannah Lorenz and senior
Jessica Fuentes scored goals nearly 10 minutes apart in the first half as the Grizzlies took a 2-1 lead that they never gave up. In both cases, the tallies were unassisted efforts as the players weaved their way through the Hesston defense and struck the ball past goalkeeper Ashleigh Williams.
Goals
6' –
Hannah Lorenz, GGC (Unassisted)
11' – Rena Itoga, HC (Unassisted)
16' –
Jessica Fuentes, GGC (Unassisted)
Inside The Numbers
- GGC held a commanding 26-1 shot edge, including an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal
- Sophomore Barbora Kadlecova had five shots to lead 12 GGC players that contributed to the team's shooting statistics
- Sophomore Hannah Lorenz is now tied for the team lead with eight goals this season
- The Grizzlies recorded all 10 corner kicks in the match
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 8-8-1 record – getting back to the .500 point for the first time since late September; Hesston's season ends with a 9-5-3 mark
- The Grizzlies have won three straight matches, outscoring their opponents by a 14-1 margin during the streak
- The team has registered 71 shots during its past two matches
- GGC has advanced to the championship match of a conference tournament for the 10th straight season, winning eight of those title contests
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College will face Bellevue University (Nebraska) for the Continental Athletic Conference tournament championship on Tuesday, November 10, at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, starting at 7 p.m. Bellevue defeated No. 3 seed Carolina University (North Carolina) 3-1 in Sunday's other semifinal match. The tournament champion earns the conference's automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament.
