The No. 22-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women's soccer team scored in the opening 10 minutes and then relied on a strong defensive performance that held No. 9 William Carey University (Mississippi) to a season-low nine shots in recording an impressive 1-0 victory Sunday afternoon at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
Sophomore
Barbora Kadlecova buried a shot from 12 yards into the left side of the goal in the 10th minute of the match between two NAIA ranked teams. Freshman
Frida Bang stole the ball from an opposing defender near the endline and then found Kadlecova open near the goal with a crossing pass from the right side of the pitch.
The Grizzlies (2-1-0) limited William Carey (1-2-0) to four shots across the opening 45 minutes. Senior goalkeeper
Rirei Sasaki then stopped four shots that the Crusaders placed on goal during the second half to preserve the team's second shutout of the young season.
GGC nearly added a second goal in the second half as a shot by junior
Kathrine Lindenberg from the top of the 18-yard box struck the left post in the 60th minute.
Kadlecova also hit the crossbar with a shot from near midfield in the 83rd minute.
Sunday's performance marked the first time in 12 all-time meetings that the Grizzlies have kept William Carey off the scoreboard in a match. It was also only the second victory in the series and the first since the 2018 season.
GGC has recorded a victory over a nationally ranked opponent in nine of the past 10 seasons. Sunday's victory was also the 100th win for Head Coach
Dr. Mike Giuliano in his 10 seasons leading the Grizzlies.
The hosts outshot William Carey by a 13-9 margin, with eight of those shots coming in the second half. Sophomore
Hannah Lorenz registered a match-high five shots, including four being on goal, and Kadlecova added three shot attempts. Lindenberg chipped in two shots in the victory.
Coach's Corner
"We were shorthanded today and still we found a way to win this match. This was the ultimate next-girl-up moment. There is soccer where you can get outshot by a wide margin and still come away with a positive result. This wasn't that type of game. We hit the post and crossbar during the second half and had great opportunities to score even more. This year's team is totally committed to our system. We pressured them into a goal and we defended extremely well," said Head Coach
Dr. Mike Giuliano.
Turning Point
Freshman
Frida Bang stole the ball from a William Carey defender near the endline and led to a quick transition goal for GGC in the 10th minute of the match. The midfielder played a ball back toward the middle of the 18-yard box in front of the Crusaders' goal after gaining possession of the ball following the turnover. Sophomore
Barbora Kadlecova took over from there, drilling a shot into the left side of the opposing goal. GGC's defense then held William Carey scoreless the rest of the way.
Goal
10' –
Barbora Kadlecova, GGC (
Frida Bang)
Inside The Numbers
- GGC outshot William Carey by a 13-9 margin, with eight shots coming in the second half
- Sophomore Barbora Kadlecova tallied her second goal of the season
- Senior goalkeeper Rirei Sasaki made eight saves in recording the shutout
- The Crusaders attempted four of the five corner kicks across Sunday's 90 minutes of action
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 2-1 in 2026; William Carey drops to 1-2-0 on the season
- The Grizzlies were ranked No. 22 in the NAIA's Preseason Top 25 poll; William Carey stood No. 9 in the same poll
- Sunday's victory marked the second triumph in the all-time series and first since 2018
- The team has recorded shutouts in both home matches this fall
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to travel to the University of Mobile on Wednesday, September 2, in Mobile, Alabama, starting at 2 p.m.
