THOMASVILLE, GA — NAIA No. 18 Thomas University Men’s Soccer (2-0-1) (TSC 0-0) upset NAIA No. 16 Georgia Gwinnett (2-1) 1-0 Saturday afternoon in a resiliently battled match.
The Night Hawks would earn their first shutout of the year as they collect their 7th straight victory against top ranked opponents on their home soccer pitch. TU and GGC battled against one another in a physical match throughout the entire course of the game.
Junior Lyle Gifford (1G) netted the only goal of the game inside the box in the 85th minute on the assisted ball from Freshman Johnathon McGrath (1A), securing the win for the Night Hawks. Thomas’s defense would continue to battle and remain physical as they were able to hold off the Grizzlies for the remainder of the game, locking in their 1-0 victory over GGC.
“The guys showed a lot of heart out there today. They battled against a physical team and they proved they wanted to walk away with the victory,” said Head TU Men’s Soccer Coach, Ricky Zambrano. “The men have been working hard on the field and in the weight room and they deserved the victory today.”
The Night Hawks will face off with NAIA No. 1 and defending National Champion Martin Methodist Friday night, September 12th at Remington Park at 7:30pm.
Thomas University Women’s Soccer (2-2) (TSC 0-0) outmatch the Lady Wildcats of Johnson and Wales (1-2-1) 4-1 as they wrap-up their second week of play.
The Lady Night Hawks would take an early 1-0 lead against the Wildcats as Junior Adrianna Johnson (1G, 1A) would drive in a free kick from the top of the box. Offensively, TU continued to extend the lead as Freshman Bethany Chamberlain (1G) headed in her first goal of her college career from Johnson’s assist, giving Thomas a 2-0 lead over JWU during the first eight minutes of play. Senior Jenny Hernandez (1G) would add to the lead, making it 3-0 as she recorded a goal on an assist from Freshman Kaleigh Premo.
The Wildcats wouldn’t allow for a shutout as they sent in a goal of their own with just two minutes remaining in the first half.
Thomas answered JWU’s goal just a minute and a half into the second half as Freshman Olivia Taylor would play a ball off the cross bar and send it home for TU’s fourth goal of the day, lengthening the lead to 4-1. Defensively, the Lady Night Hawks would shutout the Wildcats in the second half, keeping them scoreless for the remainder of the match.
“I was very pleased with how we played in today’s game. We struck early and continued to put the pressure on throughout the match,” said Head TU Women’s Soccer Coach, Julie Orlowski. “The girls have been working very hard lately, and it has shown through their performance during this past week.”
TU will be back in action as they host Florida Memorial in a non-conference match Friday, September 12th at Wendy’s Soccer Complex in Thomasville, GA. at 1pm.
