LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Top-ranked William Carey University (Miss.) took its frustration out on Georgia Gwinnett College women’s soccer team in a 4-1 victory Saturday evening in the Grizzly Classic at the Grizzly Soccer Complex.
The victory came two nights after the defending NAIA national champions had suffered their first loss of the 2019 season, 3-0 to Westmont College (Calif.), and avenged a 3-2 overtime setback to the Grizzlies last fall.
William Carey (8-1) scored twice on corner kicks in the opening 10 minutes to take control of the match. Itzayanna Gracia bent her corner kick into the goal for the first tally in the sixth minute. Later, Veronica Herrera deflected a kick from Gracia in the 10th minute to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage.
Then, in the 22nd minute, Ana Paula Santos scored the first of her two goals to build a 3-0 halftime edge.
The lead grew to 4-0 in the 59th minute when a shot from Santos sailed just inside the right edge of the GGC goal.
However, the Grizzlies (6-3-1) battled the rest of the match and finally found the back of the net in the 79th minute. Sophomore Joy Mertzig was on the receiving end of a free kick from just inside midfield by freshman Hilda Nygren, and scored within six yards of William Carey’s goal. The tally was Mertzig’s team-leading eighth of the season.
GGC outshot the Crusaders by a 6-to-5 margin in the second half. But William Carey held a 16-to-7 edge and recorded five corner kicks for the match.
The Grizzlies split their two matches against top-15 ranked teams during the Grizzly Classic, defeating University of Mobile (Ala.) 3-1 on Thursday. William Carey also went 1-1 in the tournament, while Westmont had a 1-0-1 mark for the tournament. Westmont and Mobile had a 1-1 draw in Saturday’s other Classic match.
Turning Point
Two corner kicks in the first 10 minutes of the match resulted in goals for the top-ranked Crusaders. The second goal came off a header from Veronica Herrera. The Grizzlies were outshot by an 11-to-1 margin in the first half.
Goals
6’ – Itzayanna Gracia, WCU (unassisted)
10’ – Veronica Herrera, WCU (Itzayanna Gracia)
22’ – Ana Paula Santos, WCU (unassisted)
59’ – Ana Paula Santos (unassisted)
79’ – Joy Mertzig, GGC (Hilda Nygren)
Inside The Numbers
- William Carey held a 16-to-7 shot advantage in the match, but GGC outshot the Crusaders by a 6-to-5 margin during the second 45 minutes of action
- Sophomore Joy Mertzig scored her eighth goal of the season, and now has recorded a point in seven of the nine matches she has appeared in this fall
- The Crusaders attempted five corner kicks in the match
- Three GGC players attempted a shot
News & Notes
- GGC is now 6-3-1 in 2019, while William Carey improves to 8-1 for the season
- The team ended a five-match home stand with a 3-2 record
- The Grizzlies were ranked No. 18 in this week’s NAIA regular-season Top 25 poll; William Carey held the top spot in the same poll after winning the 2018 national title
- William Carey leads the all-time series 3-1-1 against the Grizzlies
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College heads to Arkansas for a pair of matches, beginning with Oklahoma City University on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 4 p.m. from Siloam Springs, Ark.