LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The No. 12-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men’s soccer team heads to Indiana for a pair of matches to open the 2019 season. The Grizzlies are scheduled to face Grace College on Thursday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. before playing Huntington University on Saturday, Aug. 24, at 5 p.m.
GGC is coming off a 12-win 2018 campaign and a Round of 16 appearance in the NAIA national tournament.
Junior Toni Tiente earned second NAIA All-America team honors last season after leading the team with 27 points. The midfielder scored eight goals and contributed a single-season school-record 11 assists in 2018.
Grace picked up a 3-0 home victory against Rochester College (Mich.) in its season opener on Monday, Aug, 19. The Lancers have won 10 or more matches for four consecutive seasons.
Huntington received votes in the NAIA preseason poll after having an 11-8-3 season in 2018. The Foresters won the Crossroads League tournament and reached the Opening Round of the NAIA tournament.
MEET THE COACHES
Georgia Gwinnett College: Steve DeCou is in his eighth season leading the Grizzlies. He has compiled a 90-30-12 record in Lawrenceville and has guided the program to five NAIA national tournament appearances. GGC has won four Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) championships under DeCou. Overall, DeCou has posted a 210-122-27 career record in 20 seasons.
Grace: Aaron Patrick won his coaching debut at Grace with a 3-0 victory against Rochester College (Mich.) on Monday, Aug. 19. He had a five-year stint as head coach at nearby Goshen College (Ind.). Patrick has a 41-43-11 overall coaching record and led Goshen to a Crossroads League tournament runner-up finish in 2014.
Huntington: Russ Lawson is in his 20th season at his alma mater and in 2018 led the Foresters to their first national tournament appearance under his leadership.
NATIONAL RANKING
The Grizzlies open the regular season ranked No. 12 in the NAIA preseason poll conducted by a nationwide panel of coaches. GGC made its second straight appearance to the NAIA national championship site and is coming off a 12-6-1 record.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN
Junior Toni Tiente garnered second NAIA All-America team accolades in 2018 after scoring eight goals and contributing 11 assists. His 27 points led the Grizzlies. The midfielder has started all 36 matches he has appeared in over the last two seasons, and scored a point in 15 of GGC’s 19 matches this fall. Tiente registered a point in nine straight contests to end last season.
INSIDE THE GRIZZLIES
- GGC opens its eighth season in program history and has compiled a 90-30-12 record, including five NAIA national tournament appearances and four A.I.I. titles.
- The Grizzlies were 5-3-1 on the road last season and won its last three road contests.
- The team returns four All-A.I.I. performers from last season, led by junior Toni Tiente as a first-team midfield selection. Senior defenders Sagi Hirsch and Malik Thornell joined junior goalkeeper Matija Gligorovic on the second all-conference team.
- GGC outscored its opposition by a 46-to-27 margin in 19 matches last season.
- The Grizzlies have won 10 or more matches each season in program history.
- The team won eight of its last nine matches in 2018, including eight straight before losing to No. 1-ranked William Carey University (Miss.) 2-1 in the Round of 16 of the NAIA national tournament.
RETURNING TO COACHING CAREER ROOTS
Georgia Gwinnett College’s Steve DeCou started his head coaching career at Huntington College. The Foresters won 28 matches with DeCou on the sidelines for four seasons (2000-03), including the college’s first winning campaign (11-7, 2001) in eight years.
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
Grace has won 10 or more matches in each of the last four seasons and is coming off a 16-3-4 campaign in 2018. The Lancers had a 7-1-2 record in home matches last season, with three shutout victories.
SCOUTING THE FORESTERS
Huntington received votes in the NAIA preseason poll after reaching the Opening Round of last year’s national tournament. The Foresters had a 6-2 record in home matches in 2018. The team opens the season with a pair of matches against nationally ranked opponents, travelling to No. 4 Madonna University (Mich.) on Aug. 28 after opening the season by facing No. 12 Georgia Gwinnett College.
SERIES HISTORY
GGC will be playing Grace and Huntington for the first time in program history.
HOME OPENER AWAITS NEXT WEEK
The Grizzlies are scheduled to open their home schedule next Tuesday, Aug. 27, with a match against Bryan College (Tenn.), starting at 7 p.m., at the Grizzly Soccer Complex. This will be the first of 11 home matches this fall.
FOLLOW THE GRIZZLIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA
GGCAthletics.com will be home for the latest news and information regarding the men’s soccer season. Keep track of GGC Athletics through the following social media: Twitter (@GGCAthletics), Facebook (GGCAthletics) and Instagram (GGCAthletics).