Veterans Lead Men’s Soccer Defensive Unit This Fall

A major reason for the Georgia Gwinnett College men’s soccer team’s success during the 2025 season was a defensive unit that helped guide the Grizzlies to eight shutouts among 13 victories, a conference championship and a quarterfinal appearance in the NAIA tournament.

That position will once again be an asset when the team opens the season August 21 with a match at SCAD Savannah (Georgia). The home opener is August 31 against Southeastern University (Florida) at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.

GGCAthletics.com continues its preseason position preview series by highlighting the all-conference caliber performers within the team’s defensive unit – one of the deepest and experienced portions of the 2026 squad.

“We have more depth at the back line than last year,” said Head Coach Steve DeCou, pointing out that GGC’s three returning center backs have combined for 52 starts with the Green and Gray. 

Junior Amadou Diop stands tall in the backline at 6-foot-3-inches and is a two-time first Continental Athletic Conference team player. He has helped the team record 14 shutouts across the 29 matches that he has been in the lineup during the past two seasons. 

Sophomore Brayan Gomez made an immediate impact on last year’s defense, starting 19 matches. The Norcross, Georgia, native provided an assist in a victory against Florida College in the Grizzly Classic and contributed to consecutive postseason shutouts against Bellevue University (Nebraska) and the University of Rio Grande (Ohio).

Senior Errin Leak rounds out the returning defensive pieces with 16 starts among 19 matches played last year, his first season in Lawrenceville. He scored a dramatic goal from near midfield in GGC’s 3-0 victory over Bellevue in the championship match of the CAC tournament.

Assisting the defensive unit from the wingback position will be senior Pedro Alejandro and junior Josefa Simao, a duo that had 37 starts among 40 matches last fall. Simao scored the match-winning goal against Cumberland University (Tennessee) while Alejandro contributed three assists in his first GGC season.

Meanwhile, sophomore Cesar Rojas played four matches in a reserve role a year ago and has helped keep opposing teams off the scoreboard in each of the past two seasons.

“If you have clean sheets and shutouts you’re going to win and advance in the postseason,” noted DeCou, who has had 11 GGC teams play in the NAIA national tournament.

Freshmen Santino Mazzoni and Oliver Northam feature the left-footed center back capability that DeCou sought in recruiting for the upcoming fall season.