The No. 22-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer team dazzled on offense and defense in its 2026 season opener, defeating Montreat College (North Carolina) 4-0 on Saturday afternoon during Green Out Day at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The Grizzlies (1-0-0) tallied all four of their goals in the first half.
GGC burst out of the gate with 22 shots across the opening 45 minutes of action. Sophomore
Hannah Lorenz led the charge with a pair of goals on a match-high nine shot attempts.
Lorenz opened the scoring in the 16th minute when her shot from 25 yards away found the back of the net. She later capped the strong first half performance by capitalizing on a rebound in the 42nd minute after an initial shot in one-on-one situation was stopped by Montreat goalkeeper Anna Weissenfluh.
Other scores came from sophomore
Alliyah Rosales, who weaved around a defender on the left side before drilling a shot inside the right goal post in the 18th minute, giving the hosts a 2-0 advantage.
A few minutes later, sophomore
Barbora Kadlecova headed a right crossing pass from classmate
Kendra Delgado into the net to register her first goal of the season. Kadlecova earned third-team NAIA All-American and Continental Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors last season.
The second half was a bit more tame on the scoreboard as the Grizzlies registered 15 more shots but were kept off the scoreboard by Weissenfluh.
Senior
Rirei Sasaki and junior
Eva Norris shared goalkeeping chores and combined for the shutout. Norris recorded two saves in the second half.
The Grizzlies outshot Montreat (0-1-0) by a commanding 37-5 margin, with 12 different players registering a shot attempt in the season-opening triumph. Senior
Gabriela Rosas had six shots, while Kadlecova added five shots and freshman
Frida Bang chipped in four shot attempts.
Coach's Corner
"I was pleased that we played to our style of soccer. The first half was really strong, but I am not happy that we were unable to get a goal in the second half despite the chances that we created. We are getting the chances, but we just need to do a better job of finishing them. A clean sheet (shutout) is a good way to start the season," said Head Coach
Dr. Mike Giuliano.
Turning Point
Playing in front of a strong Green Out Day home crowd, the Grizzlies were excited and ready to start the new season, bursting out of the gate with 22 shots and a 4-0 lead against Montreat in the first half. The hosts found the back of the net three times within a six-minute span near the midway point of the first half. Sophomore
Hannah Lorenz registered a pair of goals to lead the early charge.
Goals
16' –
Hannah Lorenz, GGC (Unassisted)
18' –
Alliyah Rosales, GGC (Unassisted)
22' –
Barbora Kadlecova, GGC (
Kendra Delgado)
42' –
Hannah Lorenz, GGC (Unassisted)
Inside The Numbers
- GGC outshot Montreat by a 37-5 margin, including a 19-3 edge in shots on goal
- Sophomore Hannah Lorenz scored two unassisted goals to lead the balanced offensive attack
- Sophomore Barbora Kadlecova had the first tally that was set up by an assist, contributed by sophomore Kendra Delgado
- Twelve different GGC players attempted a shot during Saturday's action
News & Notes
- Both teams opened the 2026 season on Saturday
- The Grizzlies are ranked No. 22 in the NAIA's Preseason Top 25 poll
- GGC and Montreat opened the season against each other for the second straight year – both matches resulting in 4-0 victories for the Grizzlies
- The Grizzlies now lead the series with Montreat by a 6-1-1 margin, winning all four home matches since the first matchup in 2013
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play its first road match of the season with a match against No. 12-ranked Life University in Marietta, Georgia, beginning at 7 p.m.
