IRVINE, Calif. – The No. 16-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College men’s soccer team battled until the final whistle before falling 2-1 to top-seeded William Carey University (Miss.) on Monday evening in the NAIA Men’s Championships’ Round of 16 at the OC Great Park.

Freshman Omar Thali hit the crossbar with two seconds left as the Grizzlies attempted to score a game-tying goal after trailing for most of the second half. Earlier, Thali gave the Grizzlies a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute with a shot from 12 yards away from the opposing goal.

William Carey (19-0-1) squared the match in the 39th minute on a tally from Ben Whalley. Then, the Crusaders took the lead in the opening minute of the second half on a goal from Clairy Kengeye.

Both teams had eight shots in the first half and William Carey ended the 90-minute match with a 26-to-15 edge in shots.

Sophomore goalkeeper Matija Gligorovic recorded six saves, including three in the second half to keep GGC within a goal.

The Grizzlies (12-6-1) made its second trip to the NAIA National Championship site after winning the Association of Independent Institutions title and scoring a road shutout in the Opening Round of the NAIA tournament. The team won eight of its final nine matches.

 

Turning Point

With the match tied at the halftime break, the Crusaders grabbed a 2-1 lead with a goal in the opening minute of the second half. Clairy Kengeye drilled a shot into the upper left corner 35 yards away from the GGC goal. This would be the eventual match-winning goal.

 

Goals

19’ – Omar Thali, GGC (Toni Tiente)

39’ – Ben Whalley, WCU (Michael Conejero)

46’ – Clairy Kengeye, WCU (unassisted)

 

Inside The Numbers

  • William Carey held a 26-to-15 shot advantage in the match, including a 8-to-5 edge in shots on goal
  • Freshman Omar Thali and sophomore Toni Tiente tied for team-high honors with five shots
  • The Grizzlies won 10 or more matches for the seventh consecutive season
  • Sophomore goalkeeper Matija Gligorovic made six saves for the Grizzlies

 

News & Notes

  • GGC ends the 2018 season with a 12-6-1 record; William Carey improves to 19-0-1
  • The Grizzlies had a 5-5-1 record in road matches this fall
  • GGC has a 3-5 record all time in NAIA postseason play
  • Midfielder Toni Tiente scored a point in 15 of GGC’s 19 matches this season, including the last nine contests
  • Georgia Gwinnett was the No. 16 national seed in the 31-team tournament field; William Carey was the No. 1 national seed