Jaguar Men's Soccer News 2005 National Champion, National Runner-up 2004, 2007, 2009
Babouli nets All-America honor
Southeast soccer recruiters don’t get to Canada much, but Mo Babouli found his way to a tournament in Florida. That’s where Georgia Perimeter College coach Marc Zagara first saw him. The encounter turned out well for all parties.
Mo Babouli was the second highest scorer in the GCAA with 49 points.
Babouli, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, came to GPC and made an immediate impact in his freshman season with his flashy moves as a striker near the goal. He recently was awarded second team All-America honors after being named to the conference first team.
With 49 points (17 goals, 15 assists), Babouli led Georgia Perimeter in scoring and was the No. 2 scorer in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association as the Jaguars finished 15-6-1, losing to Darton College 4-3 in double overtime in the final of the league tournament.
Babouli scored two goals in the final match, including a thriller with 8:44 remaining in regulation that led to overtime. He also scored the tying goal in the Jaguars’ late-season 4-2 comeback victory over South Georgia College that seemed to spark the team to a strong season finish. He scored three goals in a victory at Tri-County Tech in South Carolina.
His speed, rapid footwork and knowledge of the game drew praise throughout the GCAA. After the conference tournament, he was named to the all-tournament team by the conference, which also serves as Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association. All-America honors are awarded by the NJCAA.
Darton’s Diego Ramos was the top scorer in the GCAA and also won first team All-America honors, as did Cavaliers midfielder Troy Tucker, after the team went to the national tournament and tied for third place.
November 17, 2011
GPC freshmen take region honors
Georgia Perimeter College was represented all over the field when all-region selections were made by the coaches of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (Region 17 of the NJCAA).
Dunston
Nelson
Babouli
The Jaguars’ leading scorer (Mo Babouli), midfield playmaker (Ross Nelson) and defender (Jordan Dunston) were named to the first team.
All are freshmen. Babouli and Dunston are from Mississauga, Ontario, while Nelson is from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Babouli had 17 goals and 15 assists, putting him second in the region behind Diego Ramos of Darton College and 17th nationally. Nelson had only four goals but added 16 assists.
Brayan Rodriguez was the No. 3 scorer in the league, 24th nationally, with 12 goals and 18 assists. He was oddly overlooked for the all-region team but made the all-tournament team, as did Babouli and GPC midfielder Danny Seabrook.
Seabrook
Rodriguez
Rodriguez is from Mableton, Ga., while Seabrook is from Fleet, England. Both are freshmen.
The Jaguars (15-6-1) went to the final of the GCAA tournament but lost 4-3 to Darton, ranked No. 2 nationally, in double overtime.
Joining the three Jaguars on the first team were Ramos, Troy Tucker, Guilherme Frota and Carlos Catano of Darton; Tyler Daly and Anthony Grant of Middle Georgia College; Luke Adams of South Georgia College; and Sean Kelley of Georgia Military College.
Ramos was Player of the Year. The Coach of the Year was Karem Daser of Georgia Military.
GPC placed no players on the second team. South Georgia dominated the second team with four selections – Jordan Crown, Ryan Davidson, Emanuel Goncalves and Matheus Silva. They were joined by Patrick Dacosta and Jowayne Laidley of Darton; Josimar Grissett and Rene Njiking of Georgia Military; Raymond Cousley of Andrew; John Paul Lowenthal of Middle Georgia; and Jalani Landburg of Gordon College.
Joining Rodriguez, Babouli and Seabrook on the all-tournament team were Ramos, Frota, Tucker and Andrew Palumbo of Darton; Jose Figueroa and Juan Matute of Middle Georgia; and Nathan Lopez and Kapasa Makasa of South Georgia.
October 30, 2011
Darton wins title in double OT; Jaguars go “out with heart”
After 101 minutes of wild and wooly soccer, Darton College finally downed the scrappy Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars 4-3 in double overtime to claim the championship of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Sunday at Dunwoody Campus.
Georgia Perimeter shocked the Cavaliers, 17-1 on the season and ranked No. 2 in the National Junior College Athletic Association, with a quick 2-0 lead. The teams battled heroically and traded leads before Darton’s Troy Tucker ended it with the game-winning goal early in the second 10-minute sudden-death overtime.
As champion of the GCAA (Region 17 of the NJCAA), Darton advances to the Southeast District championship game next Saturday at the Region 10 winner,Spartanburg Methodist College (S.C.). The winner of that match goes to the national tournament in Phoenix, Ariz. later in November.
It was a tough loss on a chilly day for the Jaguars, trying to get back to nationals after making the trip in six of the past seven years. They finish the season at 15-6-1.
“We went out with heart. We gave it everything we had,” said GPC coach Marc Zagara. “Darton is a good team. They’re a solid team. They’re the better team, but we should have beaten them today.”
The Jaguars opened the game with an astonishing attack. Leo Sanchez crossed from the right end line into the box, where Ross Nelson sent the ball through to Mo Babouli, running on the left post. Babouli drove it into the net with only one minute and six seconds of the game elapsed.
Five minutes later, Nelson received a pass from Brayan Rodriquez and scored from a steep angle along the right end line. In the sixth minute, the Jaguars had a two-goal lead over the nation’s second-ranked team, which had beaten them 4-2 and 4-0 during the season. GPC fans were going wild.
Through much of the first half, GPC’s midfield and back line dominated possession, and seemed to get a break when the GCAA’s top scorer, Diego Ramos, left the game with an injury, as did forward Carlos Filho. It seemed the Jaguars were set to reverse last year’s semifinal game with Darton, when the Cavaliers scored in the second minute of the match and held on to win 1-0.
But Darton’s offense eventually displayed its depth. Guilherme Frota hammered in a 30-yard goal with 6:20 on the board, making the score 2-1 at the intermission.
Early in the second half, in the 53rd minute, a throng of players batted the ball around in front of the Jaguar goal, and Darton’s Andrew Palumbo poked it in to tie the score. Only two minutes later, Palumbo drove the ball from the deep right corner to speedy forward Jowaine Laidley, who struck to give the Cavaliers a 3-2 lead.
Darton then shut down the GPC offense, double- and triple-teaming Babouli and Rodriquez, and as the clock wound down, it appeared the Jaguars were finished.
Then, with 8:44 remaining in the game, Rury Alvarez came up with the ball near midfield, got it to Rodriquez who passed it up to Babouli. He launched a bullet to knot the score again at 3-3, and that’s how the scoreboard remained at the end of 90 minutes of regulation play.
After a scoreless first overtime and moments after a controversial stoppage of play by the center referee, Laidley sent a line drive to the goal mouth that GPC goalkeeper Michael Polacek deflected. Tucker was there to stick it into the net—only 1:50 into the second overtime—winning the championship for the Cavaliers.
If it is any consolation to the Jaguars, this was Darton head coach Bart Sasnett’s summation of the match: “Anybody deserved to win today. Both teams played very hard. I’m proud of both teams.”
October 29, 2011
Seabrook, McGill goals send Jaguars to region final
Danny Seabrook and Mark McGill scored goals and the defense was solid as host Georgia Perimeter College shut out South Georgia College 2-0 Saturday in the semifinals of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.
The Jaguars (15-5-1) advance to Sunday’s 2 p.m. championship game at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, playing Darton College. Earlier Saturday, Darton defeated Middle Georgia College 7-0 in the semifinal opener.
Jaguar head coach Marc Zagara praised the lift he got from his bench, especially pointing out performances by McGill, Arron Valentine, Victor de Lima and Kenny Adeshigbin.
“Arron Valentine played a spectacular game,” Zagara said. “Mark scored and Kenny had a hand in both goals.”
After a long defensive struggle in the first half, Seabrook put GPC on the scoreboard with a header into the left side of the net. Kenny Adeshigbin set it up with a pass from the right side into the box to Ross Nelson, who quickly dumped it off to Seabrook. Adeshigbin and Nelson both earned assists.
With the clock showing less than 17 minutes remaining in the contest, Adeshigbin dribbled inside the left side of the box and lined a hard shot at Jordan Crown, South’s goalkeeper. The ball rebounded off Crown to the right, and McGill, running alongside de Lima to the right post, stuck it in the goal. Adeshigbin was credited with the assist.
GPC earned its third consecutive shutout with a four-man line consisting of Leo Sanchez, Alex Joseph, Jordan Dunston and Andres Morales.
“Sanchez played a great game on the right side,” Zagara said. Both Sanchez and Dunston turned in extra duty on the attack, retreating to the back line when necessary.
South Georgia (11-7-1) sent 10 shots on goal, all saved by GPC goalkeeper Michael Polacek. GPC had nine shots on goal, seven saved by Crown.
“Not a great technical performance by us, but we did what we had to do,” Zagara said.
Darton comes into Sunday’s title game ranked second in the NJCAA national coaches poll. During the regular season, the Cavaliers, undefeated in the conference, beat GPC 4-2 and 4-0. Sunday’s final will be audio webcast, beginning at 1:50 p.m., and a link can be found at www.gpc.edu/athletic under “Game Webcasts.”
DARTON COLLEGE 7, MIDDLE GEORGIA COLLEGE 0
Diego Ramos tallied two first-half goals and an assist, and Darton College defeated Middle Georgia College 7-0 Saturday in the GCAA opening semifinal match at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus
The Cavaliers (16-1) drove in five goals in the second half, two by Javier Anor and one by Jowaine Laidley, Matthew Treuman and Troy Deem. Assists were by Ramos, Travis Rovillo and Aldo Neto. Carlos Cantano got the shutout.
Darton advances to Sunday’s championship game, which kicks off at 1:50 p.m. Middle Georgia finishes the season with a record of 10-6-4.
The GCAA championship game will be played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the results on Facebook and Twitter.
October 25, 2011
Jaguars win play-in game, face South Georgia in semifinals
The Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars punched their ticket to the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association semifinals Tuesday afternoon with a 6-0 victory over Gordon College on the Dunwoody Campus.
Andres Moreno
The third-seeded Jaguars face No. 2 seed South Georgia College on Saturday at 3 p.m. The 11 a.m. semifinal matches top-seeded Darton College, ranked No. 2 nationally, and the winner of Wednesday night’s play-in between Georgia Military College and Middle Georgia College.
The GCAA semifinals and final will be on the Dunwoody Campus, with the final at 2 p.m. Sunday. All games will be webcast on NHSBN.com, presented by the GCAA. For links, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and look under “Game Webcasts.”
Gordon tied GPC 1-1 earlier this season in Barnesville, but the drama in Tuesday’s match had dissipated by halftime, when the Jaguars led 5-0.
“At this stage of the game it’s no longer about improving. It’s about surviving, and we survived today,” said GPC coach Marc Zagara. “We got lots of players in and got lots of shots off, so that’s good.” The Jaguars launched 15 shots on goal.
He noted that things had changed since the teams played opening day in August, with GPC winning 5-0 at home after a scoreless first half.
“That was a much-depleted team. They’re down about five players,” Zagara said. “But so are we. Jack Newbold got two goals off them in the first game.” Newbold and scrappy midfielder Andy Gamble have since been lost for the season with injuries.
The Jaguars’ goals came from six players—Rury Alvarez, Kenny Adeshigbin, Brayan Rodriguez, Humberto Silva, Mo Babouli and Victor de Lima. Andres Moreno had two assists, while Babouli, Rodriguez, Jordan Dunston and Ross Nelson had one each.
GPC’s three goalkeepers—Michael Polacek, Stephen Eigel and Anthony Pacifico—shared the shutout as the Jaguars’ defense kept Gordon at bay. The Highlanders took eight shots on goal, with Pacifico saving four, Polacek three and Eigel one. Dunston, Moreno, Alex Joseph and Leo Sanchez made up the stout back line.
On the offensive end, GPC pounded from the opening minute and never let up. Alvarez scored on a 15-yard shot from in front of the goal with 33:59 remaining in the first half, assisted by Rodriguez.
Adeshigbin made it 2-0 with 23:15 left, assisted by Dunston. Rodriguez, Silva and Babouli scored in rapid-fire fashion in the final 10:15 of the half.
The score went to 6-0 when de Lima lobbed in a goal that appeared to go in off a Gordon player 26 seconds into the second half.
The Jaguars, who have dropped out of the national top 20 but are still among teams receiving votes, improved to 14-5-1. Gordon, the No. 6 seed in the tournament, finishes 7-9-2.
The GCAA tournament is being played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the results on Facebook and Twitter.
October 22, 2011
Jaguars roll 8-0 with second-half barrage
Georgia Perimeter College pumped in seven goals in the second half to defeat the Oglethorpe University JV team 8-0 Saturday in men’s soccer at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus.
Neither team broke a defensive struggle in the first half until Alex Joseph found the net with one second showing on the scoreboard clock.
Early in the second half, however, the Jaguars ignited their offense for four goals in little over three minutes. Rury Alvarez scored with 35:42 on the clock and he tallied again at 32:27. Between those two strikes were two more—by Brayan Rodriguez and Ross Nelson.
Victor de Lima, Elvis Miller and Dewayne Dyer finished out the scoring for GPC (13-5-1). Assists were by Rodriguez (two), Ronald Calle (two), Leo Sanchez, Nelson and de Lima.
It marks the second straight game that the Jaguars erupted offensively in the second period. A week earlier, they scored four late goals in a 4-2 comeback win over South Georgia College.
Goalkeeper Stephen Eigel played 58 minutes and had three saves. Anthony Pacifico had two saves in the final 32 minutes. With the regular season finished, Georgia Perimeter begins postseason tournament action with a play-in game Wednesday on its home field at Dunwoody Campus. Watch this site for the kick-off time.
GPC will host the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association semifinals next Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. All tournament games will be broadcast online with a link at www.gpc.edu/athletic.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
October 15, 2011
Stunning comeback sinks South Georgia, gives Zagara 400th win
Short of personnel both on the field and on the sidelines, the Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars dramatically changed the tone of their season Saturday on the Dunwoody Campus, rallying for four late goals to beat South Georgia 4-2.
Three of the scores came within a three-minute span, wiping out a 2-0 deficit after most of the faithful on Fan Appreciation Day had started to trickle to the exits with little hope in their hearts. After all, the injury-thinned Jaguars were playing a man short, having been called for a red-card foul late in the first half.
“This was a good win for us,” said GPC coach Marc Zagara, who now has 400 of them in a Hall of Fame JUCO career. “Down a man, down two goals, we finally decided to play hard. For the last 25 minutes we outhustled a team for the first time this year.”
The win may have implications come tournament time, two weeks hence. The Jaguars are through Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association play at 6-5-1 and will finish third, fourth or fifth. It depends on how Middle Georgia (4-4-2) and Georgia Military (5-5) do in their final two region games.
Finishing third or fourth is important because those seeds get to host play-in games against lower seeds on the 26th. The semifinals and finals will be the 29th and 30th on the Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars’ comeback started with an odd play. Jordan Dunston made a throw-in from the left side to the middle of the field, and Brayan Rodriguez touched the ball before it wound up on the foot of Ross Nelson, who boomed home a shot from the right side. The assistant referee on the line raised his flag, signaling Nelson was offside. But was he?
The center referee headed over for a consultation and decided the goal would stand, leaving the Jaguars behind 2-1 with 14:59 remaining.
A minute and 12 seconds later, Mo Babouli scored the equalizer, assisted by Rodriguez and Nelson.
With 12:13 left, Rodriguez scored on a header, assisted by Nelson and Cesar Espinosa. The punctuation to a satisfying afternoon came with 5:06 left when Rodriguez boomed home a 20-yarder.
Daniel Zevallos scored in the first half to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead at intermission. Alloy Buckle scored with 28:42 on the clock, and it appeared he’d iced the game. Each goal was assisted by Ricardo Morales.
Despite the loss, South Georgia (7-4 in the GCAA, 10-6-1 overall) is assured of at least hosting a first-round play-in game. GPC, which dropped out of the national top 20 into “others receiving votes” status this week, is 12-5-1 overall with one regular season game remaining, next Saturday at home against Oglethorpe University’s JV team.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
October 11, 2011
Last-minute goal tops Jaguars 1-0
For the second time, Tyler Daly has beaten the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team with the only goal scored in the match.
The first came a year ago when Middle Georgia College slipped by the Jaguars 1-0 in Cochran on a goal scored in the third minute of the game.
Tuesday on the Jaguars’ home field in Dunwoody, Daly reversed the procedure and scored the game-winner in the final two minutes.
The loss plunges GPC to 5-5-1 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, 11-5-1 overall. Middle Georgia (7-2-4, 4-2-2) is one of several teams threatening to pass the Jaguars in the league standings and drop them perhaps as far down as fourth or fifth place by tournament time.
Georgia Perimeter played good possession ball throughout the contest but couldn’t crack Middle Georgia’s staunch defense. “It’s hard to win if you don’t score goals. We had our chances,” said GPC head coach Marc Zagara. “They had only a couple good chances, but they made one count.”
The Warriors had 10 shots on goal, but most of them were nonthreatening. By contrast, the Jaguars had only eight shots on goal but several were quality drives. Warrior goalkeeper Bryant Allen saved all eight, while GPC’s Michael Polacek had nine saves.
Daly’s goal came after a misplay put the ball at Robert Egan’s feet and he raced a Jaguar defender around the right of the box to the end line. From there Egan sent a sharp cross to the left post, where Daly had slipped behind defenders, wide open to drive it into the net.
The loss puts the Jaguars at risk come tournament time in the GCAA, also known as Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association. The tourney format grants byes into the semifinals for the top two finishers in the regular season standings. The other two semifinalists must earn their berths by winning play-in games on Tuesday, Oct. 25.
GPC has all but forfeited its chances of finishing second or third and could end as low as fourth or fifth place. The No. 3 and No. 4 teams have home-field advantage in the play-in games.
Georgia Perimeter will host the semifinals, to be held Oct. 29 and 30.
Saturday the Jaguars get a visit from South Georgia College, which is eyeing the second-place bye. The kickoff time is 2 p.m.; the online broadcast begins at 1:50. It is Fan Appreciation Day, featuring free refreshments and children’s events beginning at 11 a.m.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
October 8, 2011
Alvarez spurs Jaguars with hat trick
Rury Alvarez scored three goals and Molham Babouli accounted for three assists as the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team downed Andrew College 5-0 Saturday in Cuthbert.
Rury Alvarez
The Babouli-to-Alvarez connection clicked twice. Babouli, normally on the finishing end of goals, also passed to Brayan Rodriguez to open the scoring five minutes into the match, while Alvarez needed no assist on his middle goal.
The Jaguars’ other goal was by Jordan Dunston on a feed from Arron Valentine.
GPC, which made the most of its 15 shots on goal, led 3-0 at halftime and put the game away by striking four minutes into the second half.
The Jaguars also defeated Andrew at home last month, coasting 8-0.
Goalkeeper Michael Polacek turned aside four shots by Andrew (4-7-1) before giving way in the middle of the second half to Stephen Eigel, who was untested.
The Jaguars (11-4-1, 5-4-1), rebounding from a decisive loss Thursday to Georgia Military College, play two key Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association games this week. Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. they host the always-dangerous Middle Georgia College Warriors on the Dunwoody Campus.
GPC holds down second place in the conference and faces a showdown with third-place South Georgia College at home on Saturday at 2 p.m., which also is Fan Appreciation Day at the Dunwoody field. The second-place team in the final standings draws a bye into the conference tournament semifinals, which GPC will host at the end of the month. The third-place team has to play an extra play-in game to reach the semifinals.
The Middle and South matches will be broadcast online with a link at www.gpc.edu/athletic under “Game Webcasts.”
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
October 6, 2011
Bulldogs blitz GPC in conference upset
Spectators probably wondered if lighting struck the scoreboard at the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer field. The clock wasn’t working, and the other lights seemed similarly out of order.
After losing to GPC 7-1 in September on its home field, Georgia Military College stormed into Dunwoody Thursday, produced a lightning attack and scorched the Jaguars 4-1.
The upset threw a cloud of uncertainty over the race for second place in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association and the tournament bye it brings. GPC is 4-4-1 in the conference, while South Georgia College is 4-3. Those two teams will meet in Dunwoody on Oct. 15 in a showdown that may determine who gets the bye and who must undergo an Oct. 25 play-in game to reach the GCAA tournament semifinals on Oct. 29 at GPC.
Josimar Grissett scored two goals as the speedy Bulldogs blitzed a sluggish GPC defense. Meanwhile, the Jaguar offense pounded away at the other end of the field but struggled to maintain effective combinations and suffered numerous near misses.
Georgia Military (5-5, 4-4) seems safely embedded in at least fifth place, assuring a play-in spot on Oct. 25. The Bulldogs struck first on a header in the 11th minute by Steve Marion, with an assist from Corey Greary. They took a 3-0 halftime lead on a penalty kick by Rene Njiking and an unassisted goal by Grissett with 1:38 on the stopwatch.
Grissett increased the lead to 4-0 in the 50th minute, his goal assisted by an attacking header from Corbin Feit.
With 3:56 remaining, freshman midfielder Ross Nelson finally lit up the scoreboard for the Jaguars, scoring off the left post with a left boot after a hard cross from the right corner by Rury Alvarez.
The Jaguars had 11 shots on goal, 10 saved by GMC goalkeeper Tait Torstenson. Michael Polacek saved six of 10 shots on goal by the Bulldogs. GPC took a whopping 13 corner kicks, a tribute to the respectable pressure the forwards and midfielders placed on the visitors’ defense.
Saturday, the Jaguars hit the road again, visiting Andrew College in Cuthbert for another conference matchup. Georgia Perimeter beat Andrew 8-0 last month.
Returning to their home pitch Tuesday, the Jaguars host Middle Georgia College, whom they defeated 3-1 in August. The online broadcast begins at 4:20 p.m.—with a link at www.gpc.edu/athletic—and the kickoff is slated for 4:30.
October 4, 2011
GPC ends rocky road excursion with a win
The long, winding road ended on a peak for the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team, which downed the Oglethorpe junior varsity squad 5-1 Tuesday on the Stormy Petrels’ campus.
The Jaguars (10-3-1) completed a five-match swing away from home, which included two losses and a tie. They will get reacquainted with their Dunwoody campus field Thursday in a 3 p.m. encounter with Georgia Military College.
GPC spotted the Petrels a 1-0 lead in a foul-filled match that resulted in three red cards, one for the Jaguars, and numerous yellows.
Paolo Dal Farra notched two goals and an assist for the Jaguars, while Molham Babouli managed a goal and two assists. Dal Farra drew GPC even 12 minutes before halftime, striking on assists from Babouli and Dewayne Dyer.
The Jaguars jumped ahead inside the three-minute mark of the second half. Dal Farra scored with help from Kenny Adeshigbin and Danny Seabrook.
GPC broke it open after two Petrels were ejected. Jordan Dunston tallied on a feed from Babouli, who recorded his team’s fourth goal just two minutes later. Jooheok Lee earned an assist.
Elvis Miller closed out the scoring, assisted by Dal Farra. Goalkeeper Stephen Eigel made four saves before being relieved by Anthony Pacifico. GPC unloaded 27 shots on goal.
Thursday’s game with Georgia Military will be audio webcast with a link at www.gpc.edu/athletic under “Game Webcasts.”
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
October 1, 2011
Jaguars fall to No. 1 Darton
The wind was gusting at 40 mph at Darton College’s soccer field in Albany, and it was an ill wind for the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team.
An injury-riddled Jaguar squad stumbled to No. 1 ranked Darton 4-0 Saturday in a match between teams aiming for top seeds in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association tournament later this month.
GPC, 4-3-1 in the GCAA and 9-3-1 overall allowed three goals in the second half and mounted few threats at the other end of the field.
“They’re a good team. Tough day—I’ve had them before,” said GPC head coach Mark Zagara.
The Jaguars now turn their attention to beating out South Georgia College for second place in the conference. GPC lost last weekend to South Georgia College 3-2.
Guilherme Frota and Jowayne Laidley scored two goals apiece for Darton (10-1, 7-0). Frota, who scored two against the Jaguars in the teams’ first meeting Sept. 3, gave Darton a 1-0 halftime lead with a back post stick-in from a 35-yard direct free kick by Diego Ramos in the 38th minute.
In the second half, things went sour for the Jaguars in the first minute when Laidley slipped behind the defense and scored on a cross from Carlos Trombino Filho. Laidley repeated the act less than three minutes later, this time assisted by Ramos, the conference scoring leader.
“We were a little short-handed,” Zagara said, referring to Jaguar injuries that sidelined the likes of Brayan Rodriquez, the league’s third top scorer, along with starting midfielder Andy Gamble and reserve midfielder Marc McGill.
But “there were several sparks in there,” the coach noted, pointing out that several reserves stepped in and played well, including Humberto Silva and Kenny Adeshigbin.
The Jaguars conclude a five-game road stretch Tues. with a 5 p.m. match at Oglethorpe University, playing the Stormy Petrel’s JV squad.
They return to the home field on Oct. 6 to face Georgia Military College at 3 p.m. That match will be audio broadcast online at www.gpc.edu/athletic with a link under “Game Webcasts.”
September 29, 2011
Babouli gets hat trick in GPC’s 8-0 win
Molham Babouli scored three goals as the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team got back on the winning track with an 8-0 win Thursday over Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, S.C.
The Jaguars (9-2-1) followed a loss and a tie with a decisive victory to tune up for Saturday’s crucial Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association rematch at Darton College in Albany. The Cavaliers are ranked No. 1 in the latest NJCAA national poll released Wednesday. GPC slipped from eighth to eleventh place.
The Jaguars jumped on Tri-County (1-9-1) quickly, leading 6-0 at halftime. In addition to Babouli’s three goals, Leo Sanchez, Humberto Silva, Matt Kilgore, Arron Valentine and Jooheok Lee scored one apiece.
The assists leader was Paolo Dal Farra with two.
Coach Marc Zagara was able to rest some of his regulars, including goalkeeper Michael Polacek, who got the day off. The netminding chores were split evenly between Stephen Eigel and Anthony Pacifico, with each recording two saves.
The Jaguars unleashed 24 shots on goal, scoring on one-third of their attempts.
Saturday’s showdown in Albany marks the fourth of five trips straight away from home for GPC. Darton (9-1, 6-0) dealt Georgia Perimeter its first loss, 4-2 in the Jaguar Invitational on Sept. 3. The next day the Cavaliers suffered their only defeat of the season, a 3-2 loss to Louisburg (N.C.) College, whom the Jaguars beat 4-0 on Labor Day.
Darton leads the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, while GPC is in second place. The top two teams in the final standings will draw byes into the semifinals of the conference tournament, which will be held at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus at the end of October.
The Darton game will be broadcast live with a link at www.gpc.edu/athletic under “Game Webcasts.” The next match on familiar ground in Dunwoody is Oct. 6 against Georgia Military College.
September 27, 2011
Gordon surprises Jaguars with a tie
The Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team is discovering that the conference it has ruled in seasons past is proving rebellious at unusual stops this year.
GPC fought Gordon College to a 1-1 tie Tuesday in Barnesville for its second straight non-winning effort in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. The Jaguars gave up a late lead and lost over the weekend 3-2 to South Georgia College, another member of the GCAA.
In the season opener on August 26, Georgia Perimeter, playing on its home field, defeated Gordon 5-0.
But Tuesday another substantial advantage in shots attempted meant little with the final score. GPC (8-2-1, 4-2-1) launched 26 shots, including 20 on goal, while Gordon’s numbers were 16 and 7.
The only Jaguar whose shot met the net was Kenny Adeshigbin. A teammate’s attempt caromed back, and the lanky forward from Lawrenceville scored with 20 minutes left in the first half. Arron Valentine and Leo Sanchez had the assists.
The Highlanders (4-4-1, 2-4-1) punched ahead eight minutes earlier on Jose Ruano’s goal.
GPC goalkeeper Michael Polacek was removed from the match late in the second half after a collision with a goal post. Anthony Pacifico slid in and helped the Jaguars secure a draw.
The Jaguars remain on the road but step out of state Thursday against Tri-County Tech College in Pendleton, S.C. Three away games loom before they are back home Oct. 6 to face Georgia Military College at 3 p.m.
Saturday the Jags travel to Albany for a 2 p.m. match with league leader Darton College, ranked second in the NJCAA national poll. To listen to the Darton game online broadcast, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.”
September 24, 2011
South Georgia upsets Jaguars with goals in closing minutes
A six-game win streak for the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team ended in excruciating fashion Saturday with a late blown lead and a 3-2 loss to South Georgia College in Douglas.
The loss drops the Jaguars to 8-2 overall, 4-2 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. GPC, ranked eighth in the nation by the National Junior College Athletic Association, fell into a tie with South Georgia for second place in the conference.
The Jaguars led 2-1, with both goals coming from Molham Babouli, until South Georgia’s Matheus Silva tied it with eight minutes remaining.
The Tigers (7-2, 4-2) soon followed with the game-winning goal by Ryan Davidson, who also scored their first goal. Danny Zevallos, Joe Alexander and Shilton Jean-Noel earned assists.
The Jaguars launched 20 shots, but many of them came from too far out to cause any damage. They had 12 shots on goal.
It was South Georgia’s first win over GPC since 2003, possibly only the third all-time.
The battle for second place in the final GCAA standings is significant because the two top finishers draw a bye and automatic berths in the semifinals of the conference tournament, to be held at the end of October on Georgia Perimeter’s field.
The match began a five-game road stretch for GPC, which continues Tuesday against Gordon College in Barnesville. It is a rematch of the season opener, won by the Jaguars 5-0.
GPC’s next home match will be on Oct. 6 with Georgia Military College at 3 p.m. It will be audio webcast with a link at www.gpc.edu/athletic under the “Game Webcasts” heading.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
September 20, 2011
GPC rolls 8-0; win streak at six
Showing no wear and tear from their weekend bus trip to Mississippi, the Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars stretched their legs Tuesday in an 8-0 win over Andrew College at the Dunwoody home field.
Babouli
Mo Babouli and Victor de Lima each netted two goals, and Ross Nelson and Dan Seabrook handed out two assists apiece as the Jaguars put on a dazzling offensive display.
“Some of our goals were very pretty,” said head coach Marc Zagara. “Victor came off the bench and had a nice game, and so did Kenny Adeshigbin.”
Ranked eighth in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll, the Jaguars sent off 28 shots, 18 on goal. At the other end of the field, the defense held the Tigers to six shots on goal and four other attempts.
Starting goalkeeper Michael Polacek made two saves in the first half. Stephen Eigel and Anthony Pacifico shared net-minding duties in the second half and had two saves apiece.
De Lima
With the win, GPC extends its winning streak to six and improves to 8-1, 4-1 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (Region 17 of the NJCAA). Andrew drops to 3-4-1, 0-3-1.
Andy Gamble led off the scoring parade in the seventh minute with a 25-yard drive after Nelson sent the ball back from the box. Then Babouli added his two goals to put GPC up 3-0 at the half. Brayan Rodriguez and Nelson earned the assists.
Early in the second period, Adeshigbin ran on the right post, scoring on a long cross from Leo Sanchez. Adeshigbin, who was red-shirted last year for health reasons, missed the opening weeks of this season because of a paperwork problem.
De Lima followed with a brilliant header from the top of the box—assisted by Seabrook—and he finished the night’s scoring with another header off a dead-ball cross, again from Seabrook.
Ronald Calle scored on an assist from Paolo Dal Farra, and Jooheok Lee tallied with a double assist from Jordan Dunston and Arron Valentine.
The Jaguars won’t get to enjoy the home pitch for long, as they enter a five-game binge of road trips, starting with Saturday’s match at South Georgia College.
An anticipated matchup will take place on Oct. 1 at Darton College—the Cavaliers handed GPC its only loss of the season and are ranked No. 3 in the nation. Fans can listen to a webcast of that showdown via a link at www.gpc.edu/athletic. The next home game for the Jaguars, on Oct. 6 versus Georgia Military College, also will be broadcast online.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
September 18, 2011
Jaguars win two on long road trip
The Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team completed a successful weekend road trip with Sunday’s with 2-0 win over Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College after a 3-1 triumph over Hinds (Miss.) Community College on Saturday.
Dyer
Playing both matches at host MGCCC’s field in Perkinston, the Jaguars downed Hinds with goals by Dewayne Dyer, Paolo Dal Farra and Victor de Lima. The Eagles managed a goal late in the match when the verdict was clear.
GPC, ranked eighth in the National Junior College Athletic Association coaches poll, rattled off 25 shots while improving to 7-1. Hinds (1-5-1), did not manage a single attempt on goalkeeper Michael Polacek in the first half. The Eagles did fire off four in the second.
Dyer presented GPC with a 1-0 lead at halftime, scoring off a feed from Dal Farra. The roles were reversed on the second goal, Dal Farra tallying and Dyer assisting. Jooheok Lee passed to de Lima for the final Jaguars strike.
Dal Farra
Sunday’s match was a much tougher encounter as Mississippi Gulf Coast entered the day with a 7-1 record and home-field advantage. GPC did not finish many scoring opportunities, unloading 18 shots on goal, yet still produced enough goals to extend its winning streak to five.
Four minutes into the match, Andres Moreno tallied on a penalty kick after Lee was tripped in the box.
Elton Ferriera put the game out of reach with five minutes gone in the second half. Ronald Calle and Ross Nelson assisted.
Meanwhile, the defense was stellar. The Bulldogs were unable to manage a single shot on Polacek in the first half. The defense restricted them to three after intermission.
The Jaguars are back home Tuesday, with a 5 p.m. date with Andrew College on the Dunwoody Campus. That match will be audio webcast with a link at www.gpc.edu/athletic.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
September 13, 2011
Rodriguez leads Jaguars past Spartanburg Methodist 3-1
Brayan Rodriguez, Georgia Perimeter College’s most potent scorer early in the season, had a goal and two assists Tuesday afternoon as the Jaguars beat Spartanburg Methodist College 3-1 on the Dunwoody Campus.
Before the match, the Jaguars (5-1) moved up to No. 8 in the nation from No. 14 in the preseason poll.
They will have to improve a bit more to impress coach Marc Zagara.
“We’re going to have to score a lot of goals because we’re going to give up a lot of goals,” he said. “But a lot of guys are getting playing time now that wouldn’t have because we’ve had a lot of injuries.”
One player who has produced often is Rodriguez, a freshman forward from Mableton who has at least one goal in each of the Jaguars’ first six games. His 21 points (seven goals, seven assists) are tied with Darton’s Diego Ramos for the lead in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, also known as Region 17 of the NJCAA.
Rodriguez’ goal came in the 42nd minute and gave GPC a 1-0 halftime lead. He headed the ball home on a cross from Ross Nelson.
Spartanburg Methodist (3-2) got the equalizer less than 3 minutes into the second half when Sebastian Rodriguez controlled the ball during a scramble in front of the net and headed it twice, with the final bounce eluding Jaguars goalkeeper Michael Polacek.
Twenty-six seconds later, the Jaguars were back in the lead. Danny Seabrook scored from close range on a pass from Rodriguez.
A pass from Rodriguez produced the final goal in the 53rd minute as Mo Babouli tallied his fifth goal of the season.
The deeper Jaguars got the better of play most of the afternoon, putting 16 shots on goal. The Pioneers, who tied GPC last season in Spartanburg, had six.
The teams would be pleased to meet again in the district match on Nov. 5, which will determine the entrant to the national tournament. That match will be held at the home of the champion of Region 10.
In the meantime, there’s two-thirds of a regular season to be played, and the Jaguars face games this weekend in Perkinston, Miss. They play Hines Community College on Saturday and Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. on Sunday.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
September 9, 2011
Lee hat trick helps Jaguars rout Georgia Military College 7-1
Jooheok Lee
Reserve midfielder Jooheok Lee helped turn a close match at halftime into a rout as the Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars beat Georgia Military College 7-1 Friday night in Milledgeville.
After the first half ended 2-1, the freshman from Dunwoody came off the bench and scored twice in a nine-minute stretch early in the second half, assisted the first time by Ross Nelson and then by Brayan Rodriguez. Lee scored his third goal with 7:36 remaining, assisted by Victor de Lima and Marc McGill.
Molham Babouli scored twice for GPC, which raised its record to 4-1 overall, 3-1 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. Rodriguez and Dewayne Dyer also had goals.
After GPC took a 2-0 lead on goals by Babouli (assist to Rodriguez) and Rodriguez (assist to Paolo Dal Farra), Georgia Military’s Max Faublas cut the lead in half, assisted by Josimar Grissett.
The Jaguars surged ahead 4-1 with goals by Lee in the 55th and 65th minutes of the match. Then Babouli took over, assisting Dyer on GPC’s fifth goal and tallying off a feed from Rodriguez for the sixth, before Lee finished his hat trick.
GPC put 16 shots on goal, missing several good chances that could have put the scoring total in double digits. Georgia Military (1-2 in the GCAA and overall) launched eight shots on goal, with GPC’s Michael Polacek saving seven.
Next up for the Jaguars is a match with Region 10 contender Spartanburg Methodist College at 4 p.m. Tuesday on the Dunwoody Campus. The Pioneers tied GPC 1-1 last season in Spartanburg, S.C.
Tuesday’s match will be webcast on NHSBN.com. For a link, go to www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the “Game Webcasts” section.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 5, 2011
Rodriguez’ hat trick leads Jags over Louisburg College
Brayan Rodriguez scored three goals Monday as the No. 14-ranked Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars rebounded with a 4-0 victory over Louisburg College of North Carolina on the soggy Dunwoody Campus.
Leo Sanchez also scored for the Jaguars (3-1). Ross Nelson had three assists.
Brayan Rodriguez
The result left the three teams in the Labor Day weekend Jaguar Invitational with one win and one loss apiece. GPC lost to No. 6-ranked Darton 4-2 on Saturday. The Cavaliers, in turn, lost to Louisburg 3-2 on Sunday.
Monday’s game was played in a downpour that varied from drizzle to fairly heavy. But the footing on the Jaguars’ pitch held up, leaving the rain but a small factor in the match, which GPC dominated.
“We played a little better than we did Saturday,” said head coach Marc Zagara. “Several people had good games. Ross had three assists—Brayan three goals—Elvis Miller came off the bench and played well. The defense was more organized.”
In the 11th minute of the first half, Rodriguez ran on the box, took a cross from Nelson on the right side and banged home the game’s first goal.
In the 19th minute, he made it 2-0 after a scramble. Rury Alvarez plopped a corner kick in front of the Louisburg net, and Piolo Dal Farra earned an assist, flicking the ball to Rodriguez for a 2-0 halftime lead.
The Jaguars wrapped up the match early in the second half. In the 46nd minute, Sanchez scored by heading home a cross pass from Nelson, who had broken free from a challenge down the right end line.
The final goal, again by Rodriguez, in the 52nd minute, came on yet another superior pass from Nelson. The hat trick gives Rodriguez five goals for the season, tops on the team.
The Jaguars’ defensive line—Jordan Dunston, Johnny Vanegas and Alex Joseph—and goalkeeper Michael Polacek did a superior job keeping Louisburg’s leading scorer, Josh Burdin, off the board. Polacek shared the shutout with backup Stephen Eigel, who came into the match in the final quarter.
Louisburg (2-1) is a perennial power in Region 10 of the National Junior College Athletic Association and could wind up representing the region in the district game against the Georgia champion. Region 10, which consists of the Carolinas and Virginia, will host the district game on Nov. 5.
The Jaguars’ next home game is Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. against another Region 10 contender, Spartanburg Methodist College. In the meantime, they visit Region 17 rival Georgia Military College in Milledgeville on Friday at 7 p.m.
The Spartanburg game will be audio webcast. To listen, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.”
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 4, 2011
Louisburg upsets No. 6 Darton College
Carlos Reyes scored the winning goal in the 84th minute as Louisburg College overcame a 2-0 deficit to upset Darton College 3-2 Sunday in the second game of the Jaguar Invitational in Dunwoody.
Reyes took a pass from the left end line and fended off a challenge in the penalty box to get a shot off into the upper right corner of the net for the game winner.
Darton (2-0), ranked sixth in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll, opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a goal by Carlos Filho, assisted by Javier Anor. With 10:56 remaining in the first half, Diego Ramos launched a 35-yarder into the right top shelf to put the Cavaliers up 2-0. Kevin Arellana earned an assist on the play.
Late in the first period, Louisville (2-0) came alive when Josh Burdin chipped the ball from the left baseline into the box, where Gabriel Cevallos drove it in, cutting the lead to 2-1 at the intermission.
With 19:21 remaining in the game, the Hurricanes’ Jagdeep Singh Makh tied the game from 25 yards out, setting up Reyes’ late heroics. Kenson Badeau got the assist.
September 3, 2011
No. 6 Darton’s second-half barrage downs Jaguars in region showdown
Darton College got two quick goals in the 73rd minute to secure a 4-2 victory over Georgia Perimeter College in the Jaguar Invitational opener Saturday at Dunwoody.
GPC goalie Michael Polacek moves out on Darton’s Diego Ramos, who scored twice. Photos: Sue Ann Kuhn-Smith.
With the score tied at 1-1, Diego Ramos scored with 17:56 remaining in the game, assisted by a pass from Jowayne Laidley on the left side. Twenty-seven seconds later Guilherme Frota unleashed his second long goal of the day, assisted by Jayson Bather, giving the Cavaliers a 3-1 lead that GPC couldn’t surmount.
The game dropped GPC, ranked 14th in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll, to 2-1 on the season and 2-1 in Region 17 of the NJCAA. Darton, ranked sixth nationally, improves to 3-0 (2-0). The Cavaliers won the region last year and finished sixth at the national tournament.
Airborne Mo Babouli scored two goals for the Jaguars.
“It was a tough loss,” said Jaguar head coach Marc Zagara. “But I’d rather lose early in September than at the end of October.”
Darton scored first when Frota hammered in a goal from 35 yards out in the 18th minute. Ramos was credited with the assist.
GPC answered with 10:39 left in the first half. Leo Sanchez sent a sharp pass from deep left to Molham Babouli, running into the penalty box. Babouli headed it into the net to tie the score.
Ramos iced the outcome with 6:20 remaining in the game, netting a long ball from the left side that squirted by Jaguar goalkeeper Michael Polacek. Defender Matt Kilgore valiantly got a foot on it at the goal line but it rolled in to give Darton a 4-1 lead.
With only three seconds left in the game, Babouli scored the final goal on a cross from Brayan Rodriguez.
Polacek saved seven of the 11 shots on goal launched by Darton. GPC took nine shots on goal, seven saved by Darton goalie Carlos Catana.
The Jaguar Invitational continues Sunday as the Cavaliers meet Louisburg (N.C.) College at 2 p.m. on GPC’s Dunwoody field. Monday, Georgia Perimeter and Louisburg play the final match of the invitational at 2 p.m. That game will be audio broadcast online at www.gpc.edu/athletic, beginning at 1:50 p.m.
The Jaguar Invitational Sunday and Monday will be played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
August 30, 2011
Jaguars defeat Middle Georgia 3-1 in Cochran
Having negotiated two preliminary obstacles, the No. 14-ranked Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars now face a matchup that could burnish their national resume.
The Jaguars beat Middle Georgia College 3-1 in Cochran on Tuesday afternoon, moving to 2-0 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, also known as Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association. Jack Newbold, Brayan Rodriguez and Leo Sanchez scored the goals.
Next up: Sixth-ranked Darton, which opened its season impressively with a 4-0 victory over No. 9 San Jacinto College of Texas at an event in Pensacola, Fla. The Cavaliers are the defending Region 17 champions, having defeated the Jaguars 1-0 in the region tournament semifinals last season.
The big matchup at 2 p.m. Saturday headlines the Jaguar Invitational on the Dunwoody Campus. Darton plays perennial national power Louisburg of North Carolina on Sunday at 2 p.m., while GPC returns to face Louisburg on Monday, Labor Day, at 2 p.m.
The Jaguars had their hands full on a hot afternoon in Cochran with Middle Georgia (0-1-1), but got enough defense and big plays to avenge a 1-0 loss a year ago on the same field.
Newbold put the Jaguars ahead in the 30th minute, winning a scramble in front of the net after a long pass from Paolo Dal Farra—who earned the assist—and punching the ball past the Middle Georgia goalkeeper Bryant Allen. It was Newbold’s third goal of the young season.
After the half ended 1-0, Middle Georgia scored the equalizer in spectacular fashion, with John Paul Lowenthal banging home an over-the-head bicycle kick off Jose Figureroa’s corner kick in the 51st minute. Figueroa got the assist.
Ten minutes later, GPC took a 2-1 lead when the speedy Rodriguez took a long pass from Mo Balbouli in the middle of the field, split two defenders and beat Allen one-on-one.
The Jaguars’ defensive line—Jordan Dunston, Andres Moreno and Johnny Vanegas—played stoutly as Middle Georgia pressed for another tying goal. It wasn’t to come.
GPC wrapped up the scoring with another highlight-reel play. Rodriguez sharply headed the ball from the top of the penalty box several feet toward Leo Sanchez, who faced him with his back to the goal.
Matching Lowenthal’s showmanship, Sanchez executed the perfect backheader, driving the ball downward into the net in the 80th minute. It was the insurance point GPC needed to glide to the final whistle.
The Jaguars produced 10 shots on goal. Middle Georgia had nine, eight of them saved by Michael Polacek.
Saturday’s game will be webcast on NHSBN.com, with a link available at www.gpc.edu/athletic. Go to the Game Webcasts section and click on the link.
August 26, 2011
Jaguars open season with second-half goal fest
After an out-of-sync first half that ended scoreless, the 14th-ranked Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars broke loose for a 5-0 victory over Gordon College on Friday afternoon at the Dunwoody Campus.
Freshman Jack Newbold scores one of his two goals.
Photos: Bill Roa.
It was the season and Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association opener for both teams.
Jack Newbold, a freshman from Birmingham, England, made his Jaguars debut memorable with two goals. Brayan Rodriguez, Andy Gamble and returnee Leo Sanchez also scored for GPC.
“It was a win. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win,” said Marc Zagara, who is beginning his 20th season at the helm of the Jaguars.
GPC got the better of play in the first half but couldn’t get a ball past Gordon goalkeeper Chase Daniel, who normally plays on the back line. That changed quickly as the sunny, warm afternoon wore on and the Jaguars were able to call on a deeper bench.
Brayan Rodriguez pokes in the Jags’ first goal of the season.
With 39:23 remaining, Rodriguez scored from close in, with Mo Balbouli getting one assist for a cross pass and Danny Seabrooke the second for redirecting the ball with his chest.
The Jaguars took a 2-0 lead with 27:13 remaining when Gamble pounded home the ricochet of a shot by Sanchez, who received the assist.
Then it was Newbold’s turn, with powerful kicks at 25:02 and again at 16:33, assisted the first time by Marc McGill and then by Elvis Miller.
Sanchez put the punctuation mark on the day with a highlight reel play, curving home a 30-yard direct free kick over a wall of Gordon defenders with 7:21 remaining.
The Jaguars peppered Daniel with 16 shots on goal, while the Highlanders managed only three against GPC freshman goalkeeper Michael Polacek, who posted a shutout and three saves in his collegiate debut.
GPC entered the opener ranked No. 14 in the National Junior College Athletic Association preseason poll.
The Jaguars next play Tuesday afternoon at 5 p.m. against GCAA rival Middle Georgia College in Cochran.
The next home game is Saturday, Sept. 3, at 2 p.m. against another region rival, Darton College, in the Jaguar Invitational on the Dunwoody Campus. Darton, the defending conference champion, finished sixth in the nation last season and the preseason poll ranks the Cavaliers in that spot.
To listen to radio-style play-by-play accounts of both games, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.”
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
Aug. 25, 2011
New-look Jaguars open 2011 season Friday
By its sky-high standards, the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team endured a difficult season in 2010. The numbers tell the tale: four defeats, one tie and no trip to the national tournament after six straight visits.
Midfielder Rury Alvarez made the 2009 NJCAA All-Tournament team.
All but four Jaguars and two red-shirts from the 2010 roster have moved on. The returning group brings limited junior college seasoning, three of them having spent most of the year rehabbing from injuries.
If this sounds like a program on an inexorable path to a lull, well, let the words of the GPC head coach drown out such a notion.
The lack of experience “is not a big issue,” Marc Zagara said. “It’s not unusual at this level. We’ve been through this before.”
Recently, in fact. The 2009 squad reached the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament—attaining Zagara’s annually stated goal of “excellence”—with just two sophomore starters.
The 2011 version of the Jaguars opens the season at home Friday at 5 p.m., hosting Gordon College in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association opener for both teams. The statewide conference is also known as Region 17 of the NJCAA.
GPC’s new look will extend beyond the new faces. There likely will be fewer creative players with individual flair, occasionally stepping outside the framework set by the coaches. The Jaguars may miss forward Boubacar Toure, who in two seasons accounted for 36 goals and 33 assists for 105 points.
Last season midfielder Leo Sanchez showed speed and ability to find the net.
The pendulum could swing to a more technical style. ’I don’t think we are going to struggle in that area as we have in the past sometimes,” he said. “We will be a hard-working team, a cohesive unit.”
Prompting the transition in part was the arrival of five newcomers from Ireland and the United Kingdom, an area known for its fundamentally sound, unflashy brand of soccer. The recruits embody the efforts of GPC assistant coach Allan Davie, a Scotsman by birth.
Zagara, an NJCAA Hall-of-Fame coach entering his 20th season at GPC, was responsible for signing a pair of Canadians spotted at a Florida tournament over the year-end break. He expects striker Molham Babouli and center back Jordan Dunston to contribute once they get acclimated to the southern heat. “They are struggling a bit with it,” the coach said.
With the usual international flavor and two nations additionally represented for the first time in the Zagara era, he joked, “I think we’ve now got the four corners of the globe covered.”
Still, the bulk of the roster is home-grown, especially with only one incoming freshman from Florida, a state that Zagara has heavily mined in the past.
All four veterans have Georgia roots. The quicksilver forward Leo Sanchez (Fitzgerald High) could pace the team in scoring. Sanchez missed most of the season but still played more than midfielder/forward Rury Alvarez (Stone Mountain High) and midfielder Kenny Adeshigbin (Central Gwinnett High), both of whom were red-shirted after being felled by injuries.
Midfielder Elvis Miller (2) finished his freshman season with solid performances for the Jaguars.
Alvarez, another top scoring prospect, played a key role in the Jaguars’ 2009 national second-place run, scoring 18 points on six strikes and six assists, including a game-winning overtime goal over rival Young Harris College. He made the NJCAA All-Tournament team after scoring a game-tying, 35-yard field goal in the Jags’ semifinal victory on penalty kicks.
Among the returnees, midfielder Elvis Miller (Meadowcreek High), a deft passer who finished his freshman year on a tear, was the only player to avoid a season-shortening ailment last year.
Along with Babouli and Dunston,a standout in the fresh crop of freshmen might be striker Brayan Rodriguez, yet another local product, from Pebblebrook High. Goalkeeper Michael Placek (McIntosh High), also has local roots.
The Jaguars would have been much stronger had rising sophomore Aaron Rygiel not signed with Creighton University. He was the team’s No. 2 scorer last year with 14 goals and 10 assists. What’s more, three blue-chip high school prospects in Florida received Division I offers after finding favor with GPC.
Zagara never rues such developments. His oft-repeated ultimate aim is to place players with four-year programs. While the won-loss ledger from last year was uncharacteristic, he labeled it a success because 14 players landed scholarships, four on the D-I level.
In that context, “The season wasn’t a disappointment by any means,” he said.
Still, the Jaguars hope to avenge last year’s ouster in the conference tournament semifinals by Darton College, win the Southeast District Championship and reclaim their rightful place at nationals.
Even with the extreme roster makeover, Zagara believes that GPC’s typical role as the team to beat remains intact.
“I’d rather be us than anybody else in our league,” he said. “I like our chances.”
July 1, 2011
Jaguars open men’s soccer schedule at home on Aug. 26
The Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars, bidding for their seventh trip to the national tournament in eight seasons, open their 2011 schedule on Friday, Aug. 26, with a home game against Gordon College.
Game time is 5 p.m. on the Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road in Dunwoody.
The Jaguars have 19 regular-season matches, 12 against region rivals from the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. Non-region opponents include two defending National Junior College Athletic Association regional champions, Spartanburg Methodist College and Hinds Community College of Mississippi, and perennial power Louisburg College of North Carolina.
The Jaguars were 14-4-1 last season, losing to Darton College 1-0 in the semifinals of the GCAA tournament in Albany.
This season the first Darton match comes early, Sept. 3 in Dunwoody. Earlier that week, on Aug. 30, the Jaguars go on the road to play another GCAA contender, Middle Georgia.
The tournament semifinals and final of the GCAA, also known as Region 17 of the NJCAA, will be hosted by Georgia Perimeter on Oct. 29 and 30, game times to be announced.
The Southeast District championship game will be Nov. 5, with the national tournament in Phoenix on Nov. 17-20.
Last season broke the Jaguars’ streak of six appearances in the nationals. They were national champions in 2005 and finished runner-up in 2004, 2007 and 2009 under coach Marc Zagara, a Hall of Famer who will be entering his 20th season at GPC.
June 21, 2011
A dozen Jaguars are moving up
The Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team may have missed out on a trip to the national tournament for the first time in seven years, but the demand for Jaguars hasn’t abated at the next level. Coaches know where to look for talent, and Marc Zagara’s team has a reputation for Division I-quality players.
Boubacar Toure, one of four Jaguars receiving Division I scholarships, will play for Appalachian State.
Twelve players are moving on up, including four headed to Division I schools. And every one of them has signed either a full or significant-level scholarship at the school they’ve selected, marking one of the best harvests in recent GPC history.
Forward Boubacar Toure, a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association All-America first team after scoring a Region 17-best 66 points (21 goals and 24 assists) will head for Appalachian State, a D-1 school.
Midfielder Juan Arbelaez, who made the All-Region 17 first team along with Kingsley Morgan, Momodou Sanneh and goalkeeper Jason Andrew, will head to Virginia Commonwealth for a D-1 opportunity.
Luke Bray, a defender, will head closer to his Miami Springs home with a D-1 scholarship to Florida International. And Aaron Rygiel, a second-team All-Region 17 selection and a midfielder from Buffalo, N.Y., will continue to his exploration of the country with a D-1 scholarship to Creighton in Omaha, Neb.
Morgan, a midfielder, Sanneh, a defender, and Andrew will again be teammates at Southern Poly in Marietta, along with GPC teammate Thierry Betole, a defender who made the All-Region 17 second team.
Julian Garcia, who shared goalkeeping duties with Andrew, will take his talents to Wingate College in North Carolina.
Midfielders Alejandro Duque and Aziz Izmour will remain teammates, moving on to nearby Clayton State.
Christian Ospina, a Miami native, will go back home to continue his career, playing at St. Thomas University.
April 20, 2011
Sandoval back in Atlanta for second pro season
After a season playing professional soccer in the tropics, Junior Sandoval is back in the semi tropics of Georgia.
The former Georgia Perimeter College standout signed a contract with the newly revived Atlanta Silverbacks of the new North America Soccer League, and he’s logged plenty action at forward n the team’s first two games.
Junior Sandoval displays his footwork in the Silverbacks’ opener with the Minnesota Stars.
Sandoval joined the Silverbacks on loan from the Puerto Rico Islanders, the team that he first signed with after his freshman season at Georgia Perimeter. He saw action in four games for the Islanders in U.S. Soccer Federation Division-2 Pro League.
Several of those teams, including Puerto Rico, formed the eight-team NASL this year, and Atlanta joined after a two-year hiatus from professional soccer.
The Silverbacks’ next home games are this Saturday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. against Fort Lauderdale and May 7 at 7:30, hosting Edmonton. For the schedule and the team’s website, visit www.atlantasilverbacks.com.
The son of a professional soccer player, a native of Honduras and graduate of Centennial High School in Alpharetta, Sandoval was instrumental in GPC’s runner-up finish in the 2009 National Junior College Athletic Association tournament.
Plagued by an ankle injury, he played in 12 regular-season matches as a striker for the Jaguars, scoring nine goals and handing out 11 assists for 29 points, second on the team to Boubacar Toure’s 39 points. He was selected to the NJCAA All-Region 17 first team.
His scoring total might have been higher but for the injury and coach Marc Zagara’s winning system, which emphasizes balance and frequent substitution to keep players fresh. The Jaguars produced seven of the top 16 scorers in the region in 2009.
In the national championship game in Trenton, N.J., Sandoval and the Jaguars fell to Tyler College (Texas) on penalty kicks after two scoreless 10-minute overtimes. The Jaguars have gone to the national tournament in six of the past seven years, winning in 2005 and finishing second three times.
December 8, 2010
Toure named to All-America first team
Sophomore forward Boubacar Toure last week was selected to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-America first team, the only Jaguar honored nationally this season.
Boubacar Toure.
Toure, a sophomore from Decatur who was the leading scorer in Region 17 with 66 points (21 goals, 24 assists), was also region Player of the Year.
In 2009 Toure led the Jaguars with 15 goals and nine assists for 39 points, making his career total at GPC 105 points on 36 goals and 33 assists.
He was a key contributor to the Jaguars’ 2009 national runner-up title. After winning the region and district titles and the first two games at nationals in Trenton, N.J., GPC’s run ended at the hands of Tyler College (Texas) in penalty kicks after a scoreless double-overtime.
Toure is one of five All-American soccer players from GPC this season, four from the women’s team. Freshman forward Esther Anyanwu, who led the nation’s women in scoring, was named first-team All-America after leading the Jaguars to a third-place finish in the NJCAA national tournament.
Midfielder Linda Chukwuji and goalkeeper Marbel Egwuenu—both freshmen—were selected for the second team, while sophomore defender Victoria Klingensmith was honorable mention.
GPC’s men’s team dominated the All-Region 17 first team with five players but lost 1-0 to Darton in the final of the region tournament and were denied a seventh consecutive trip to the nationals. Their final record was 14-4-1.
Along with Toure, the other region first-teams were also sophomores—midfielders Juan Arbelaez of Oakwood, Kingsley Morgan of Norcross and Momodou Sanneh of Marietta and goalkeeper Jason Andrew of Atlanta. Sophomore Thierry Betole of Smyrna and freshman Aaron Rygiel of Alfred, N.Y., made the second team.
Toure’s exceptional skills on the field have generated full-scholarship offers from many four-year colleges. He currently is looking for the program where he will fit in best.
November 17, 2010
Jaguars collect all-region, all-tourney honors
The Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars were denied a seventh straight trip to the national tournament but dominated the all-region team, led by Player of the Year Boubacar Toure.
Toure, a forward from Decatur who was the leading scorer in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, was one of five Jaguar sophomores selected for the first team, joined by goalkeeper Jason Andrew of Atlanta and three midfielders—Juan Arbelaez of Oakwood, Momodu Sanneh of Marietta and Kingsley Morgan of Norcross.
Morgan was a repeat selection, having won Player of the Year honors in 2009.
Freshman midfielder Aaron Rygiel of Alfred, N.Y., and sophomore defender Thierry Betole of Smyrna were named to the second team.
Two other midfielders—sophomore Christian Ospina of Miami, Fla., and freshman Jorge Torres of Duluth—made the all-tournament team as the Jaguars lost 1-0 to Darton in the semifinals.
Toure finished with 66 points (21 goals, 24 assists), ranking third nationally, as the Jaguars outscored opponents 82-15. He moved up to the first team after winning second-team all-region honors in 2009. Betole was also second team last year.
Andrew had a 0.50 goals-against average, tied for ninth in the country.
Arbelaez (four goals, two assists) and Sanneh (one goal, eight assists) tied for 22nd in scoring in the GCAA, also known as Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association, with 10 points apiece.
Rygiel finished third in the region with 38 points (14 goals, 10 assists).
The other first-team selections in the region were Matias Aristegul, Mynor Perez and Diego Ramos of Darton; Diego Barrios and David Burke of Middle Georgia; and Felipe Nascimento of South Georgia.
Joining the two Jaguars on the second team were four players from Middle Georgia (Tyler Daly, Maxi Noccioni, Thomas Raffo, Juan Carlos Salazare), three from South Georgia (Emanuel Goncalves, Nuno Gourgel, Jonathan Waters) and one each from Darton (Jonathan Osorio) and Gordon (John Paz).
Joining Ospina and Torres on the all-tournament team were four players from Darton (Matt Tobin, Aristegul, Perez, Ramos), three from Middle Georgia (David Burke, Anthony Grant, Alan Lindahl) and two from South Georgia (Pierre St. Amour, Goncalves).
Vinny Gill of Middle Georgia was selected Coach of the Year by his peers.
October 30, 2010
Darton upsets Jaguars in semifinals; 6-year title run ends
Freshman forward Diego Lara scored a goal only 1:07 into the game, and Darton College scratched and clawed to make it stick, upending Georgia Perimeter College 1-0 Saturday in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association men’s soccer semifinals.
With the win, the Cavaliers (14-5) advance to Sunday’s championship game, playing Middle Georgia College, which defeated South Georgia College 4-0 in the other semifinal.
Georgia Perimeter, which had won the tournament six consecutive years, finishes its 2010 campaign with a 14-4-1 record.
After Boubacar Toure, the NJCAA leading scorer, was roughly taken down at midfield with no foul, Lara got the ball in front of the goal and blasted it into the back of the net for the shocking early goal that eventually became the game-winner.
But the outcome was always in doubt. With 13:17 left in the first half, Sebastian Velljo received a red card, and the Cavaliers played a man down for the rest of the contest. Time and again the Jaguars tried to take advantage on the attack only to be turned away.
The game was marred by excessive elbows, pushing, grabbing, tripping, vicious slide tackles and illegal take downs. Darton received five yellow cards along with Velljo’s red. GPC forward Juan Arbelaez had to be helped off the field, as did defender Momodou Sannaeh.
Aided by the physical assault, the Cavaliers’ defense shut out the high-scoring Jaguars, an abnormal statistic as Georgia Perimeter had scored 11 goals in beating Darton twice in the regular season 6-0 and 5-4 in overtime.
GPC took 18 shots on goal, 12 in the second half. Darton managed only six shots, and Jaguar goalkeeper Jason Andrew saved five.
October 29, 2010Jaguar Journal: GPC faces challenges as men’s region tournament carried on web TV
The Georgia Perimeter College men will have to get past two tough conference foes to win the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association tournament in Albany. And all the action can be watched online.
The Jaguars’ semifinal opponent at 6 p.m. Saturday is host Darton College, which beat Gordon 3-0 in the play-in game for the third seed.
All tournament games will be video webcast by Panhandle Sports Broadcasting, Region 17’s new partner for championship events. Fans can watch games by finding the links a at www.gpc.edu/athletic, www.psblive.com and www.gjcaa.org.
Middle Georgia plays South Georgia in the other semifinal at 8 p.m. Saturday. South Georgia earned a berth by edging undefeated Wallace State-Hanceville 1-0 Wednesday.
Sunday’s final will be at 3 p.m. The winner advances to a district match for a berth in the national tournament in Tyler, Texas.
The Jaguars (14-3-1) have been to the nationals six consecutive times, winning the championship in 2005. They finished second in 2004, 2007 and 2009. Georgia Perimeter is ranked seventh in the latest NJCAA poll. Darton (13-5) and Middle Georgia (13-1-1) were among teams receiving votes but out of the Top 15.
GPC’s two regular-season matches with Darton each produced odd results. At the Dunwoody Campus on Sept. 25, the Jaguars won a 6-0 blowout. In Albany on Oct. 9, the Jaguars came back to prevail 5-4 on a goal by sophomore Boubacar Toure late regulation and another in overtime.
Toure finished as the leading scorer in the nation with 66 points (21 goals, 24 assists). Freshman Aaron Rygiel was third in the GCAA with 38 points (14 goals, 10 assists), while sophomore Alejandro Duque was sixth with 27 points (10 goals, 7 assists).
The Jaguars’ defense and goaltenders also excelled all season. Jason Andrew finished with a 0.455 goals-against average, sixth nationally. Julian Garcia was at 0.857. Both are sophomores.
The Jaguars finished second in the region to Middle Georgia because of a paperwork foul-up involving a red card. GPC beat Middle 2-0 on the field at the Dunwoody Campus, but the result was reversed to a forfeit victory for Middle because of the mistake. It ended up making the Warriors the top seed in the tournament.
Darton is led by sophomore Mynor Perez, tied for sixth nationally in scoring with 54 points (24 goals, 6 assists). The Cavaliers have three more scorers in the region’s top 11—Carlos Trombino Filho, Guilherme Frota and Javier Anor. All are freshmen.
JAGUAR JOLTS: Three Jaguars, striker Rury Alvarez, defender Javion Green and midfielder Kenny Adeshigbin, have been redshirted, preserving their potential eligibility for next season. All are sophomores. ... South Georgia’s Felipe Nascimento finished fourth in the region in scoring, with Maxi Noccioni of Middle Georgia fifth. ... GPC ousted Darton 2-1 in overtime in last year’s semifinals, then beat Young Harris 4-1 in the final. Young has since departed the league, seeking NCAA Division II status.
October 23, 2010
Andrew threatens, but Jaguars rally late to win regular-season finale
Second-year head coach Daniel Correa and Andrew College lived up to their mascot name Saturday. The Fighting Tigers, dwelling in the cellar of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, threw a second-period surprise into the nationally ranked Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team. But the Jaguars closed out their regular season with a late rally and a 5-2 victory in Dunwoody.
After Georgia Perimeter led 2-0 at the intermission, Andrew fought back with a run-on goal by Raymond Cousley, assisted by Elvin Mendietta, ten minutes into the second half.
Soon after, Cousley again made another run, and Thierry Betole, the last defender before goalkeeper Jason Andrew, took him down in the box. Betole received a red card, a setback for the Jaguars going into the region semifinal match next Saturday. With 28:28 showing on the clock, Mendieta pounded the penalty kick into the goal above the Andrew, who rightly dove to his left, and it was a new ballgame.
The score remained knotted at 2-2 until 11:40 remained in the game, when Boubacar Toure drew Andrew goalkeeper Junior Dorlus to the right side. Toure sent a brilliant pass from the endline to Saudin Garanovic, breaking into the box. Garanovic kicked the winning goal into the open net past the diving Dorlus.
Saudin Garanovic
Five minutes later, Toure, the nation’s scoring leader among two-year colleges, drove a penalty kick into the left corner of the net for an insurance goal. Toure got his second assist with 5:20 left, passing into the box through a crowd where Jorge Torres scored with a one-touch blast.
GPC ends the regular season 14-3-1 overall and 10-2 in the GJCAA (Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association). Andrew fell to 3-12, 1-11, finishing in last place in the region standings.
Georgia Perimeter, entering the game with some injured players on the sidelines, scored ten minutes into the first half when Luke Bray stole the ball and slipped it to Alejandro Duque. Mohamed Ahmed took a quick pass from Duque and drove it in.
Less than five minutes later. Elvis Miller launched a corner kick that bounced off an Andrew defender into the box, where Aaron Rygiel kicked a bullet into the right corner for an early 2-0 lead.
The margin looked comfortable for GPC, ranked ninth in the NJCAA national poll. But the Fighting Tigers never gave up, keeping the outcome uncertain for the next 27 minutes until the Jaguars scored three goals in a span of six minutes and twenty seconds.
Finishing the regular season in second place in the GCAA standings, the Jaguars receive a bye into next Saturday’s tournament semifinals at Darton College in Albany. As the No. 2 seed, they will play the winner of Wednesday’s play-in game between third-place Darton and fifth-place Gordon College.
Middle Georgia College, the regular season GCAA champion, also receives a bye and will face Wednesday’s play-in winner between Wallace State at Hanceville (Ala.) and fourth-place South Georgia College.
The semifinals and Sunday’s region championship game will be televised online by PSB Live. To watch the games visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.”
October 19, 2010
GPC overcomes injuries to down Oglethorpe JVs
Boubacar Toure, the nation’s leading junior college scorer, had a foot in every goal as the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team blanked the Oglethorpe University junior varsity 4-0 Tuesday at the Jaguars’ field in Dunwoody.
Boubacar Toure gets loose and takes his shot on goal.
Toure, who began the day atop the points honor roll by a single point, scored twice and assisted on the other pair of goals. The six points (two per goal, one per assist) upped his total to 62..
GPC (13-3-1) is on a roll entering its final Georgia College Athletic Association (Region 17) match at home Saturday against Andrew College. Game time is 2 p.m.
The victory completed a GPC sweep of Oglethorpe, five weeks after a 1-0 win on the Stormy Petrels’ campus.
However, the Jaguars have been hard hit by injury. Seven Jaguars in the rotation have missed playing time recently, and veterans Rury Alvarez, Javion Green and Kenny Adeshigbin have been red-shirted for the season.
Toure provided GPC with the only goal it needed less than three minutes into the match, tallying on a pass from Alejandro Duque. Five minutes later, Toure served to Aaron Rygiel for a 2-0 Jaguars lead.
Toure fed Juan Arbelaez eight minutes into the second half for the third goal and finished off the scoring thanks to an assist from Momodou Sanneh.
Goalkeeper Jason Andrew handled duties in the net for Georgia Perimeter, registering his eighth shutout of the season. He stopped four Stormy Petrel shots.
GPC threatened throughout the game but missed on a few open-netters. Oglethorpe keeper Preston Freeman prevented five more promising chances from finding the back of the net.The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
October 16, 2010
Short-handed Jaguars hang on for region win over South Georgia
Playing short-handed for two-thirds of the match, Georgia Perimeter College got the most out 10 shots on goal with a 3-0 men’s soccer win Saturday over South Georgia College in Douglas.
Luke Bray received a red-card ejection for rough play with about 15 minutes remaining in the first half. The Jaguars were fortunate to have forged a 2-0 lead by then, and they scored just once more while playing standout defense to blank the Tigers.
Ranked 10th by the National Junior College Athletic Association, the Jaguars moved to 12-3-1 overall and 9-2 in Region 17 for state schools. South Georgia, which lost 5-1 to GPC last month, dropped to 6-6-2 and 5-6.
Boubacar Toure, who began the weekend as the NJCAA’s leading scorer, failed to find the back of the net but assisted on the first and third goals. He has amassed 56 points on 18 goals and 20 assists.
Aaron Rygiel also assisted on the opening goal, claimed by Alejandro Duque. Then defender Mohammed Issahaku came forward on a corner kick by Duque to make it 2-0. Kingsley Morgan completed the scoring in the 75th minute.
The Tigers nearly matched GPC’s shots total with eight. Jason Andrew repelled three attempts.
The injury bug that has hit the Jaguars extended to the coaching staff. Veteran assistant Ron Moore missed his first match in 17 seasons because of complications from knee surgery.
The Jaguars are back in action Tuesday at 3 p.m. against Oglethorpe University’s junior varsity squad on the Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
Top of PageOctober 15, 2010
Jaguar Journal: Red card red tape complicates postseason picture
On the field, most everything is clicking for the Georgia Perimeter College’s men’s soccer team. The Jaguars avenged a defeat against Middle Georgia College, swept Darton College and routed Georgia Military College.
Showing why they rank 10th in the most recent National Junior College Athletic Association poll, the Jaguars (11-3-1, 8-2) are rounding into form as they try to reach the NJCAA tournament for the seventh consecutive season. Sophomore forward Boubacar Toure is scoring at a nation-leading pace, his 18 goals and 18 assists for 54 points shattering his 2009 team-leading total of 39 points.
The defense posted eight shutouts through 15 games, as sophomore goalkeeper Jason Andrew’s goals-against average of 0.50 ranked seventh in the nation. In short, they are looking every bit like a first-place team on the field.
Unfortunately, the Jaguars learned the hard way how important off-the-field concerns can be. Because GPC was late turning in paperwork concerning a red-card violation in the Oct. 5 rematch with Middle Georgia, the Jaguars were forced by an NJCAA rule to forfeit their victory over the Warriors. Their hard-earned 2-0 victory now is officially recorded as a 1-0 defeat, matching the one they actually suffered on the field Aug. 31 in Cochran.
The technicality handed Middle Georgia the lead in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (NJCAA Region 17) standings with the region tournament approaching. With the race for first place in the league a three-team contest between GPC, Middle Georgia and Darton College, the object is to finish in first or second place in the standings. The top two teams in the final standings receive byes into the region tournament semifinals, while the third-place team must qualify through a play-in match three days before the semis—a distinct disadvantage.
With two victories over Darton this season, GPC will win the second-place seed and avoid the play-in even if they end up tied with the Cavaliers in the win-loss columns. But GPC still would have to play the winner of Darton’s play-in game against the sixth seed, which the Cavaliers assuredly will win.
Assuming Middle Georgia wins its remaining games, especially the Oct. 22 home match with Darton, the Warriors would face the weaker No. 4-5 winner, probably South Georgia. A semifinal against Darton (8-2 in region play) is more ominous than one against South Georgia (5-5). The extra effort to advance out of the semis can weigh on the team’s Saturday championship performance. So, the red tape mishap knocking GPC out of the top seed presents a postseason challenge for the Jaguars.
But if visiting Darton beats Middle in Cochran, the three teams should end up tied with two losses apiece and tiebreaker rules would apply. That may be too chaotic to consider at this point.
Regardless, after the Jaguars visit South Georgia College Saturday, play a non-region game with the Oglethorpe junior varsity Tuesday and host Andrew College Oct. 23, they hope to be heading for the region tournament semifinals on Oct. 30 in Albany.
The Andrew game will be GPC’s final audio webcast for the men’s season. To listen, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.” The broadcast begins at 1:50 with the pregame Jaguar Journal.
JAGUAR JOLTS: The region tournament semifinals on Oct. 30 and championship game, Oct. 31, in Albany will be video-broadcast online by Panhandle Sports Broadcasting (PSB Live). The GCAA, led by commissioner David Elder, signed a contract for PSB to broadcasts six tournaments—men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball. Georgia Perimeter will provide links to all the broadcasts. For more information on the GCAA-PSB partnership, visit http://www.gjcaa.org/main. ... With 18 goals and 18 assists, Toure continues to lead the NJCAA in scoring with 54 points. Behind him with 50 points is Ashton Bennett of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, which beat the Jaguars 3-2 at the Jaguar Invitational Labor Day weekend. Mynor Perez of Darton ranks seventh with 45 points. GPC’s Aaron Rygiel, a freshman midfielder, is No. 32 with 12 goals and seven assists for 31 points. ... Andrew, ranked seventh among the nation’s goalkeepers with a 0.50 goals against average, has allowed only four goals in 11 games. Teammate Julian Garcia is ranked 25th with a 0.86 GAA, six goals in nine games. ... Sophomore midfielder Rury Alvarez has been red-shirted, along with sophomore defender Kenny Adeshigbin, joining midfielder Javion Green on that list. Alvarez was a major force at last year’s national tournament, making the All-Tournament Team.
October 12, 2010
Rygiel helps Toure to nation’s scoring lead
Boubacar Toure and Aaron Rygiel were feeder and finisher Tuesday as the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team blanked Georgia Military College 7-0 in Milledgeville.
Boubacar Toure
Toure, who entered the game ranked third among National Junior College Athletic Association scorers, fed teammates for all three goals in the first half, then finished twice in the second period. The seven points (two per goal, one per assist) lifted his season total to 54, temporarily ahead of the leader with 50.
Rygiel tallied two goals and assisted on both of Toure’s strikes.
Aziz Izmour opened the scoring 9:30 into the game with a blast off of a cross from Toure. Rygiel kicked in his first goal, assisted by Toure, with 3:20 remaining in the half.
Momodou Sanneh squeezed in a goal, again with Toure assisting, just before halftime for a 3-0 GPC lead.
The teams jostled for 25 minutes in the second period with no score until Toure tallied, assisted by Rygiel.
Six minutes later, Christian Ospina fed Rygiel for the freshman midfielder’s second goal.Rygiel then aided assisted Toure with six minutes remaining.
Erwin Boonacker, a freshman midfielder from The Netherlands brought up from the reserve squad to fill in for injured players, completed the scoring in the waning seconds with Sanneh assisting.
Goalkeeper Jason Andrew saved four GMC shots among seven attempts by the home team in posting Georgia Perimeter’s eighth shutout, his fourth. The Jaguars launched 30 shots.
GPC bettered its record to 11-3-1 and 8-2 in the Georgia College Athletic Association (Region 17 of the NJCAA), which includes a 9-0 win over the Bulldogs at home. GMC, though improved since the first meeting, is winless in nine matches, with one tie.
The Jaguars remain on the road Saturday, facing South Georgia College, then are back on the Dunwoody campus next Tuesday to confront the Oglethorpe junior varsity team at 3 p.m. Page
October 9, 2010
Jaguars complete season sweep of Darton in overtime
Sophomore forward Boubacar Toure scored late in regulation time and again two minutes into overtime, giving No. 10-ranked Georgia Perimeter College a hard-fought 5-4 victory over Darton in Albany on Saturday.
Toure also had two assists for the Jaguars, 7-2 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association and 10-3-1 overall. Darton, which lost to GPC in Dunwoody earlier, is also 7-2 in the GCAA. The Cavaliers fell to 11-4 overall.
The game was billed as a battle for sole possession of first place in the GCAA, also known as Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association. But at the end of the match neither team held first place.
Unfortunately for the Jaguars, Middle Georgia, also contending in the league, got a big break after Tuesday’s loss to Georgia Perimeter. Because of a red card paperwork violation, GPC forfeited the 2-0 victory after a ruling by the GCAA.
The Warriors thus move into first place past GPC and Darton with a 7-1 record in the region. The ruling significantly affects the postseason picture, as the top two teams in the standings receive byes into the semifinals of the tournament Oct. 30-31 in Albany. Without the ruling, GPC would have had a firm hold on first place and the more favorable seed.
After a goal by Juan Arbelaez six minutes into the match gave the Jaguars an early lead, the Cavaliers went ahead 2-1 at halftime.
Each time the Jaguars needed an equalizing goal in the second half Saturday, they got it—first from Leo Sanchez, then from Aaron Rygiel and finally from Toure with 2:32 left on the clock. Sanchez was fresh off the injury list after missing several games.
Sophomore midfielder Momodou Sanneh assisted on Toure’s goal in overtime. Rygiel and Sanchez also contributed assists for the Jaguars.
GPC goaltender Julian Garcia was credited with eight saves.
The big day gave Toure 41 points for the season (14 goals, 13 assists), tied with Darton sophomore Mynor Perez, who kept pace with two goals on Saturday. Dwayne Brown and Guilherme Frota also scored for Darton.
The Jaguars have two Region 17 road games upcoming, Tuesday against Georgia Military in Milledgeville (6 p.m.) and Saturday against South Georgia in Douglas (2 p.m.) Their next home game is Oct. 19 against Oglethorpe University’s JV team at 3 p.m. on the Dunwoody Campus.
October 5, 2010
Jaguars occupy first place with win over Middle Georgia
Editor’s note: Because of a red card paperwork violation, Georgia Perimeter College forfeited this victory after a ruling by the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. The report that follows is what took place on the field.
On an afternoon when Autumn’s chill finally could be felt, Aziz Izmour broke the ice; Boubacar Toure iced the game and Jason Andrew chilled a potent offense as Georgia Perimeter College won the big grudge match with Middle Georgia College.
After a fierce defensive struggle, Izmour scored late in the first half and Toure scored 10 minutes into the second to give Georgia Perimeter a 2-0 victory over Middle Georgia in men’s soccer Tuesday at GPC Dunwoody.
Jason Andrew gets a save against Middle Georgia.
The win moves Georgia Perimeter into first place in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (Region 17 of the NJCAA). The Jaguars sport a 7-1 region record, 10-2-1 overall. Losing for the first time this season, Middle Georgia (7-1-1, 6-1 Region 17) drops into a second place tie with Darton College (9-3, 6-1).
It was a much anticipated match, given that the 1-0 victory the Warriors inflicted on GPC on August 31 accounts for the Jaguars’ lone loss in the region.
But the showdown mostly was controlled by the Jaguars, who maintained possession probably 70 percent of the time with an array of speed dribbling, back passes, bicycle kicks, defensive headers and other show stoppers.But not everybody on GPC’s end of the field was satisfied with the performance.
“We’re still not clicking very well,” head coach Marc Zagara said. “But we scored more goals.”
Undoubtedly among the coach’s concerns was the fact that GPC took 20 shots on goal but lit the scoreboard with only two of them. The Jaguars held Middle Georgia to eight shots on goal, with Andrew making eight saves.
Andrew put on a one-man talent show. Midway through the first half, Middle’s Alan Lindahl fired a long, hard drive destined to sizzle in just under the cross bar, but Andrew double-fisted it to the ground and pounced on it as Tyler Daly was about to boot in the rebound.
Late in the half, with the score still knotted at zero, Andrew dove to his left to save a free kick and then dove back to the right to save a shot on the rebound by Juan Matute. Another time, in the second half, the lanky keeper leapt to save a shot by Daly that came in so hard it skipped off Andrew’s fists and whistled over the crossbar.
The big blow for the Warriors came with 11:57 remaining in the first half. Kyler Richmond, a freshman midfielder, received a red card for throwing an elbow, putting the visitors down a man.
Taking advantage, Alejandro Duque got the scoring started for the Jaguars when, working in a crowd at the top of the box, he fed fellow sophomore Izmour, breaking in from the left side. Blessed with a sudden one-on-one, Izmour hammered the ball past Warrior goalkeeper Tomas Raffo into the right side of the goal with 1:52 on the clock. GPC took the 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
Ten minutes into the second period, Aziz cut inside from the left and slipped a pass to Toure, streaking in from the right. Toure drove it in for the insurance goal, his 14th on the season, with 35:43 showing on the clock. With 13 assists he leads the region scoring with 41 points, 11 ahead of Darton’s Mynor Perez, and he’s tied with two others for second place in the nation.
GPC, ranked No. 7 in the NJCAA national poll, dominated in corner kicks, taking nine to the Warriors’ five.
The top two teams in the final region standings get byes into the semifinals of the region tournament at the end of October. The third-place team has to qualify through a play-in match three days before the semifinals.
Middle and Darton play Thursday for the second place spot in the standings, and then the Jaguars travel to Darton for another crucial region match Saturday at 2 p.m.
GPC’s next home game will be on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 3 p.m. versus Oglethorpe University’s JV squad.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
Top of PageOctober 2, 2010
Win streak ends as Spartanburg Methodist ties Jaguars
The Georgia Perimeter College scoring machine, which had churned out 32 goals in the past four games, sputtered Saturday in a 1-1 men’s soccer tie at Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist College.
The Jaguars (9-2-1), coming off a seven-game winning streak and a 9-0 victory Friday in nearby Sumter, S.C., could muster up only a penalty kick tally by Alejandro Duque with 28 minutes remaining. Spartanburg had been charged with a handball just inside the box.
Christain Bono’s goal 10 minutes into the game put Spartanburg on top until the penalty kick.
GPC generated 11 shots against the formidable Pioneers (9-1). One, by Aziz Izmour, was launched just inches away from the goal line during the first half but struck the crossbar and bounced away.
Stout defense by the visitors salvaged the draw. Julian Garcia managed nine saves in goal for GPC, which faced 14 shots in the nonconference encounter. The defense shut down freshman midfielder Sebastian Velasquez, who came into the game ranked 26th in scoring nationally.
The Jaguars are back home Tuesday for a crucial Region 17 grudge match with Middle Georgia, which dealt GPC one of its two defeats this season. Game time is 4 p.m. on the Dunwoody Campus. To listen to the web audio broadcast, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.” The broadcast begins at 3:50 with the pregame Jaguar Journal.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
October 1, 2010
Jaguars handle USC-Sumter 9-0
Alejandro Duque and Aaron Rygiel scored two goals apiece Friday as No. 7-ranked Georgia Perimeter College defeated USC-Sumter 9-0 on the first day of a weekend road trip to South Carolina.
The Jaguars’ Saturday opponent, Spartanburg Methodist College, is listed among “others receiving votes” in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association poll. GPC moved up from 12th place to seventh this week.
After Spartanburg comes the league game everybody has been waiting for—against Middle Georgia at 4 p.m. Tuesday on the Dunwoody Campus. It’s a rematch from Aug. 31 in Cochran, where the Warriors shut down the Jaguars’ potent offense and won 1-0.
That loss is the only blemish on the Jaguars’ record in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, also known as Region 17 of the NJCAA. GPC is 6-1 in the league, 9-2 overall.
After David Egri scored on a cross pass from Rygiel 2½ minutes into the game, Duque found the net twice in the next 8½ minutes, assisted both times by Boubacar Toure, the NJCAA national player of the week.
Goals by Toure (from 2009 All-American Kingsley Morgan) and Saudin Garanavic (from Rygiel) put GPC ahead 5-0, and the Jaguars made it 7-0 by halftime on Rygiel’s pair of goals. He was assisted each time by Ahmed Mohamed.
In the second half, defenseman Thierry Betole moved up to forward and scored on an assist from Toure with 36 minutes remaining. Another defenseman, 2008 All-American Fode Diallo, tallied the Jaguars’ final goal on an assist from Garanovic.
With his goal and three assists, Toure padded his scoring lead in Region 17. He has 13 goals and 13 assists for 39 points, also ranking among the leaders in the country—he was sixth coming into the game. Wednesday, the NJCAA named him the national player of the week.
The Jaguars fired 19 shots on goal. USC-Sumter (0-10) couldn’t manage any against GPC goalkeeper Jason Andrew. He and the Jaguars’ other goalkeeper, Julian Garcia, each rank among the NJCAA statistical leaders. Garcia is third with a 0.25 goals against average, and Andrew is 15th (0.81).
Tuesday’s Middle Georgia game will be broadcast on the web. To listen, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.” The broadcast begins at 3:50 with the pregame Jaguar Journal.
But the road first goes through Spartanburg Methodist (8-1), and the Pioneers may be dangerous. Sophomore goalkeeper John Prochak is ranked fourth (0.48) right behind Garcia. Freshman midfielder Sebastian Velasquez is 26th in scoring with 10 goals and three assists for 23 points.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 28, 2010
Jaguars continue in first place with another high-scoring shutout
Boubacar Toure extended his red-hot scoring streak with two goals and two assists as Georgia Perimeter College defeated Georgia Military College 9-0 in men’s soccer Tuesday at the Dunwoody Campus.
But the scoring was well-balanced for the Jaguars as 11 players tallied goals or assists during the Region 17 match.
With the win, Georgia Perimeter improved to 8-2 on the season, and lead the region (also known as the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association) with a 6-1 record. Georgia Military slipped to 0-6, 0-6.
Toure surpassed Darton College’s Mynor Perez as the top scorer in the region. The sophomore forward has 13 goals and 9 assists for 35 points, while Perez, who plays Wednesday at South Georgia College, has 28 points. Toure also will move up in the National Junior College Athletic association rankings. He came into the game ranked twelfth in the nation, but could move as high as third, depending on other top scorers’ production.
For the second consecutive match, a Jaguar goalkeeper registered an assist with a long punt. Julian Garcia kicked the ball to Mohammed Issahaku, who hammered it home to give the Jaguars a 4-0 lead at halftime. Saturday, goalie Jason Andrew got a similar assist against Darton.
Mohammed Issahaku advances the ball, on the way to scoring the Jaguars’ fourth goal.
Georgia Military held the Jaguars for nearly the first 10 minutes of the game, but then GPC scored three times in three minutes. Toure started it with 36:29 showing on the clock, getting an assist from Momodou Sanneh.
At 34:09 Alejandro Duque scored, assisted by Toure. A minute later, Aaron Rygiel scored at 33:08 with an assist by Aziz Izmour.
GPC pumped in five goals in the second half—Rygiel, assist Toure; Toure, assist Rygiel; Saudin Garanovic, assist Elvis Miller; David Egri, assist Miller and Miller, assist Christian Ospina.
The Jaguars bombarded GMC goalkeeper Eddie Webb with 26 shots on goal and took three corner kicks.
It was Garcia’s third shutout of the season. Georgia Military mustered only two shots on goal, one in each half. Going into the game, Garcia was ranked No. 5 in the nation with a 0.25 goals against average.
Friday the Jaguars board the bus for a road trip to South Carolina, playing USC-Sumter at 3 p.m. and then visiting Spartanburg Methodist College on Saturday at 2 p.m. Spartanburg promises a scrap; the Pioneers received votes in the NJCAA poll.
On Tuesday, Oct. 5, Middle Georgia visits GPC for a big region showdown at 4 p.m. It will be a grudge match as the Jaguars seek revenge for a 1-0 loss at Middle in August. To listen to an audio webcast of that match, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.”
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 25, 2010
Jaguars surprise Darton 6-0
It was Fan Appreciation Day in Dunwoody and an anticipated clash of titans. Instead, the clash turned into a one-sided match, with fans leaving the stadium fully appreciating the talents of the Jaguars.
Sophomore striker Boubacar Toure scored three goals and added two assists to lead Georgia Perimeter College to a 6-0 victory over Darton College in a key men’s soccer Region 17 match Saturday at the Dunwoody Campus.
Elvis Miller, No. 2, assists Saudin Garanovic, left, on GPC’s fifth goal.
Goalkeeper Jason Andrew not only got the shutout for the Jaguars, but he earned an assist with a long punt that bounced nicely for Toure to head into the goal over the Darton keeper, Sean Duble. The goal came with 27 seconds remaining in the first half, giving the Jaguars a commanding 3-0 lead at the intermission.
Andrew received outstanding protection from the defense, led by Thierry Betole, Mohammed Issahaku, Luke Bray and others. Darton got only two shots on goal, and the defense shut down Mynor Perez, the region’s leading scorer..
The victory moves Georgia Perimeter (7-2, 5-1) into a favorable position in Region 17 of the NJCAA. The Jaguars, in first place in the region standings, are wrestling with Darton and Middle Georgia College for the top seeds in the region tournament at the end of October. The top two teams in the final standings receive byes into the semifinals, while the third-place team has to qualify through a play-in match three days before the semis, which represents a distinct disadvantage.
The three teams are nationally recognized. GPC is ranked No. 12 in this week’s NJCAA national poll, while Darton (7-2, 4-0) and Middle Georgia (5-0-1, 4-0) received votes for the top 15.
Boubacar Toure, top, and Aaron Rygiel celebrate one of Toure’s three goals.
Head coach Marc Zagara appeared to be pleased with the improvement of his squad since two early season losses, but he noted that the Cavaliers played with a handicap.
“They were missing a bunch of players,” the coach said. “But we played good soccer for the first 10 or 15 minutes. After that the game got rough.”
Darton’s Perez received a yellow card in the first half, furthering the Cavaliers’ production problems. Perez leads the region with 28 total points, but Toure, who was in second place with 19 points, nearly caught up with him with his eight points for the day.
Toure and Alejandro Duque scored early in the game, electrifying the crowd that expected a close contest between the two region leaders. Toure struck in the sixth minute with an assist by Aaron Rygiel. Less than three minutes later, Duque took a pass from Toure and netted the ball to put GPC up 2-0 eight minutes into the match.
The Jaguars struck even sooner in the second half when Juan Arbelaez scored in the third minute, assisted by Toure.
With 18:28 remaining in the game, Saudin Garanovic got an assist from Elvis Miller and scored with a run on Duble. Toure finished the shot barrage with 6:33 left, assisted by Kingsley Morgan. GPC took 12 shots on goal during the game.
Tuesday the Jaguars host Georgia Military College in another region contest, beginning at 6 p.m. The game will be audio webcast—fans can listen in by visiting www.gpc.edu/athletic and clicking on the link under “Game Webcasts.” The broadcasts begins at 5:55 with the pregame Jaguar Journal.
After two nonregion games on the road next weekend in South Carolina, Middle Georgia visits GPC on Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. That match represents another showdown as the Jaguars seek further advantage in the region’s standings race and payback for a 1-0 loss at Middle in August. The match also will be broadcast online.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 23, 2010
Jaguar Journal: Two hurdles as Jaguars seek road back to top seed
As the Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars near the halfway point of the Region 17 schedule, they find themselves in an unfamiliar position, trying to catch two teams ahead of them in the Region 17 standings. The Jags have been playing catch-up since an August 31 1-0 loss to Middle Georgia College in Cochran.
But Marc Zagara’s crew has been resilient. The Jaguars (6-2, 4-1 Region 17) have rattled off four straight wins since that opening week upset and a 3-2 nonregion loss to Cincinnati State Technical and Community College at the Jaguar Invitational Sept. 5. Cincinnati State is ranked No. 3 in the nation.
To no one’s surprise, the region seems to be boiling down to a three-way brawl between Middle Georgia (5-0, 4-0), Darton College (7-2, 4-0) and Georgia Perimeter. The drop to fourth place South Georgia is steep—the Tigers are 2-3 in the region.
Now comes the showdown with Darton College this Saturday at the soccer field on the Dunwoody Campus. Darton is a dangerous adversary at a time the Jaguars are trying to build momentum into the postseason.
The Cavaliers were ranked sixth in the NJCAA national poll, but fell back to “receiving votes” after last week’s disaster at an invitational in Louisburg, N.C. They lost 1-0 to Community College of Baltimore County-Essex (also “receiving votes”) and 2-1 to Louisburg, a perennial soccer power. So, the two losses may be deceiving.
The game features the two top scorers in the region, both sophomore forwards. Darton’s Mynor Perez, from Los Angeles, leads with nine goals and two assists for 20 points. No. 2 scorer is GPC’s Boubacar Toure, from Decatur, with seven goals and five assists, 19 points.
Furthermore, the game features the three top goalkeepers in the region, all sophomores. Georgia Perimeter’s Julian Garcia has allowed 0.25 goals per 90 minutes played to lead the conference. Darton’s Kel Markert is in second place with a 0.713 average. Standing in third place, GPC’s lanky netminder, Jason Andrew (Atlanta), has a 1.014 average.
Why it is important for GPC to catch Middle Georgia and Darton—the top two seeds get first-round byes in the region tourney in Albany. The top seed plays the lowest seed of the winners of two play-in games. An easy semifinal round is always desirable at a weekend tournament.
Darton already has played two matches at Dunwoody, and won both. They defeated No. 3 Cincinnati State 4-2 and Cuyahoga Community College 4-0 at the Jaguar Invitational. The Jags defeated Cuyahoga, but lost to Cincinnati, making this the rare season where they’ve already suffered two setbacks. Georgia Perimeter has the talent to win Region 17.
The polls agree, placing the Jaguars 12th in the nation, even above Darton and Middle Georgia, both of which “received votes.” The question is can the Jaguars put the early losses behind them and run the table? A win over Darton Saturday could go a ways toward momentum-building into the postseason.
Last year Coach Zagara’s club lost the national championship match in Trenton, N.J., on penalty kicks to Tyler College. Getting back to that title match—which will be held in Tyler in November—is undoubtedly on every Jaguar’s mind.
GPC hosts Middle Georgia on Oct. 5 and visits Darton Oct. 9. The road to Tyler goes through Darton and Middle—and then possibly Louisburg in the District 10 championship—and it’s no easy road.
JAGUAR JOLTS: Saturday is Fan Appreciation Day at the Georgia Perimeter College soccer field on the Dunwoody Campus. The gala event will feature fun activities for children and their families, beginning at 11 a.m.; Q 100 will broadcast a live remote and Skip’s Hot Dogs will cater a free lunch for all. ... The webcast for the game airs at 1:50 p.m. with Jaguar Journal, and the action starts at 2 p.m. To listen, go to www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on Game Webcasts. ... GPC has five of the top 16 scorers in the region. In addition to Toure, tied for sixth place are Jaguar midfielders Aaron Rygiel (five goals, one assist, 11 points) and Alejandro Duque (4-3-11). Forward Leo Sanchez is tied for 10th (3-2-8) and midfielder Saudin Garanovic is tied for 13th (2-2-6). ... Darton’s Carlos Filho (tied for eighth place) and Matt Tobin (tied for 13th) are the only other Cavaliers besides Perez among the top 16 region scorers. ... On the national front, Darton’s Perez is ranked 12th among NJCAA scorers, while Toure is No. 28. The Jags’ Garcia is ranked ninth among the nation’s goalkeepers with a 0.25 goals against average per 90 minutes. Teammate Andrew is No. 43. Darton keeper Sean Duble is listed at No. 15, while Markert is No. 37, though he’s above Duble in the region listing. ... The Jaguars have missed talented sophomore striker Rury Alvarez. He strained his quad muscle in the Cincinnati State game, but may be back in time for the critical match with Darton. Another starter, midfielder Javion Green is out for the season with a PCL injury incurred in the season opener. ... Hats off to the Jaguar defense in last Saturday’s 5-1 victory over South Georgia as Felipe Nascimento—at the time the region’s leading scorer—was kept off the scoreboard.
September 21, 2010
Late flurry gives Jaguars 8-0 margin over Gordon College
A second-half explosion of goals gave the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team its most decisive win of the season, 8-0 Tuesday over Gordon College in Barnesville.
The Jaguars led 2-0 nearly two-thirds into the 90-minute match when freshman midfielder Aaron Rygiel tallied off a pass from Boubacar Toure. Eleven minutes later, Alejandro Duque struck, with an assist from Aziz Izmour, triggering a run of four goals within a six-minute span. All told, eight different Jaguars scored amid a flurry of 24 shots on goal.
The Jaguars (6-2 overall, 4-1 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletics Association) displayed superior passing and team play in winning their fourth straight. The Highlanders (4-4, 2-3) also entered the game on a streak of three victories.
GPC’s first-half goals were notched by Christian Ospina, with Luke Bray assisting, and Mohammed Issahaku on a header that capped a set piece started by Alex Joseph.
The Jaguars padded their advantage on goals by Izmour (Momodou Sanneh assisting), Toure (Raul Arciniega), Ahmed Mohamed (Kingsley Morgan) and Saudin Garanovic (Jorge Torres).
Goalkeeper Julian Garcia, fronted by stout defense, was required to make just three saves.
GPC returns home for a key region encounter with Darton College (5-2, 2-0), which was ranked sixth in the national junior college poll last week before suffering two losses at a weekend invitational tournament in Louisburg, N.C. The Cavaliers fell to Louisburg College 2-1 and to the Community College of Baltimore County-Essex 1-0.
Saturday also is Fan Appreciation Day at the field on the Dunwoody Campus, featuring fun family activities beginning at 11 a.m, free lunch by Skip’s Hot Dogs and a remote radio broadcast by Q100. Game time is 2 p.m. To hear the GPC-Darton online play-by-play broadcast, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.” The pregame Jaguar Journal begins at 1:50 p.m.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 18, 2010
Jaguars deliver in second half to down South Georgia
Sophomore striker Boubacar Toure had a goal and two assists as the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team defeated South Georgia College 5-1 Saturday at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars exploded for four goals in the second half to improve to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, also known as Region 17 of the NJCAA.
“We progressed a little bit today, but not a lot,” said GPC head coach Marc Zagara. “The midfields—both first and second units—played well.”
The coach pointed out another positive note: “We didn’t get any injuries and we didn’t have any cards. That’s the first time this year.”
Juan Arbelaez reacts after scoring the first goal.
The Jaguars took an early lead—with 35:12 showing on the scoreboard—when Boubacar Toure sent a cross pass to sophomore midfielder Juan Arbelaez, who drilled it in from the right side. The teams settled into a defensive struggle, and the score remained 1-0 at halftime.
Toure got the ball rolling in the seventh minute of the second half with a score on an assist by Alejandro Duque. Less than a minute later, Toure returned the favor for his second assist as Duque scored.
With 18:53 remaining, Aziz Izmour made the score 4-0 with a goal, assisted by Leo Sanchez. And once again only a minute later the Jaguars struck again. This time it was a goal by Raul Arciniega, with Sanchez picking up his second assist.
The Jaguar defense stopped the Tigers’ All-Region forward Felipe Nascimento, who led the league in scoring last year. South Georgia (2-3-2, 2-3) averted a shutout when Matt Sutton scored with 1:01 remaining. Patrick Olschlager earned an assist on the play.
Georgia Perimeter took 16 shots on goal, while the Tigers had nine. Jaguar starting goalkeeper Jason Andrew registered seven saves. Julian Garcia served in the net for the last six minutes and gave up the goal to Sutton.
Thierry Betole comes to keeper Jason Andrew’s aid.
The Jaguars hit the road for Barnesville Tuesday, visiting Gordon College for another region match. Next Saturday, Sept. 25, is Fan Appreciation Day and a key region match-up with undefeated Darton College at 2 p.m. Darton and GPC are both ranked this week in the NJCAA national coaches poll—the Jaguars at No. 13, and Darton (5-0, 2-0) at No. 6.
Fan Appreciation activities begin at 11 a.m. with fun family activities such as face painting, air brush tattoos and a remote radio broadcast by Q 100. Skip’s Hot Dogs will provide a free lunch for all.
Fans who can’t make it to the stadium for the festivities should visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.” The pregame Jaguar Journal begins at 1:50.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 14, 2010
Georgia Perimeter edges Oglethorpe JV 1-0
After a scoreless first half, sophomore striker Boubacar Toure scored two minutes into the second half to give the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team all the scoring it would need in a 1-0 victory over the Oglethorpe University junior varsity Tuesday.
The National Junior College Athletic Association counts game results with four-year college JVs, so Georgia Perimeter improves to 4-2 on the season.
The Jaguars controlled the ball through most of the match but couldn’t build a comfortable lead. Sophomore midfielder Aziz Izmour, who earned the assist on Toure’s goal, put the ball in the net three times, but officials nullified each score for offside infractions.
GPC took 13 shots on goal, while the Jaguars’ stingy defense limited the Stormy Petrels to one SOG. Goalkeeper Jason Andrew made the save and recorded the shutout, his first of the season and the Jaguars’ third.
The Jaguars next face some tough NJCAA Region 17 challenges on their home field. They host South Georgia College Saturday, Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. The match will be audio broadcast on the web, beginning with the pregame Jaguar Journal at 1:50 p.m. To listen, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.”
Undefeated Darton College (5-0) visits on Sept. 25 for a 2 p.m. match and Fan Appreciation Day. The festivities will feature free food by Skip’s Hot Dogs and fun activities for families beginning at noon. That game also will be webcast with the pregame show beginning at 1:50 p.m.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 11, 2010
Egri-to-Toure combo spurs GPC at Andrew
In control from the get-go, the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team took awhile Saturday to find the back of the net.
GPC downed Andrew College 5-1 in Cuthbert, moving the guests back above the .500 mark overall (at 3-2) and in the Georgia College Athletics Association (at 2-1). but not before some anxious moments.
The match was scoreless until all but four minutes had expired in the first half. David Egri fed Boubacar Toure for a score that broke the ice.
Kingsley Morgan, a 2009 All-American, moved the count to 2-0 on an assist from Momodou Sanneh. But Andrew (2-3, 0-2) answered on a header by Shabaka Mathlin, putting the Tigers back in contention.
The Egri-to-Toure connection clicked again, pushing the Jaguars ahead 3-1 with 15 minutes remaining. During the game’s final stretch, Aaron Ryigel tallied with help from Christian Ospina, and Saudin Garanovic closed out the scoring off a pass from Ahmed Mohamed.
The difference in shots on goal—24 for GPC, three for the Tigers—illustrated the visitors’ dominance. Goalkeeper Julian Garcia was required to make just one save.
The Jaguars have a short commute to their next game, Tuesday afternoon against the Oglethorpe junior varsity in north Atlanta.
They return to Region 17 action and their home field on Sept. 18 at 2 p.m., hosting South Georgia College. The following week will be Fan Appreciation Day, with fun and festivities, as Darton College visits on Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on the web, beginning at 1:50 p.m. To listen, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.”
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 5, 2010
Surge surges to rise above Jaguars 3-2
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College rallied to overcome Georgia Perimeter College 3-2 Sunday in the final match of the Jaguar Invitational at Dunwoody. And the Surge, the visitors’ mascot, left the Jaguars wondering if they are experiencing a surge of the sophomore jinx.
Ranked No. 2 in the National Junior College Athletic Association preseason poll after going to the national championship game last year, and blessed with a plethora of experienced sophomores, Georgia Perimeter (2-2) suffered their second loss in five days. They grabbed an early lead Sunday but couldn’t hold it.
“We have too many guys doing their thing instead of working as a team,” said GPC head coach Marc Zagara. “We’re not very cohesive—we’re making too many wrong choices. And that shouldn’t be happening with so many sophomores.”
Sophomore Alejandro Duque gave the Jaguars a 1-0 lead with a goal off a dead ball in the seventh minute. Both teams battled for control until midway through the half, when Cincinnati State (4-1) hit pay dirt.
The Surge’s Ashton Bennett scored on a crisp pass from the left wing by Garrett Listo, and the score remained tied at the intermission.
The second half featured numerous outstanding dives and punches for saves by both goalkeepers, GPC’s Jason Andrew and Cincinnati’s Austin Morgan.
With 23:25 left in the second half, Andrew made a fine save near his left post, but the ball rebounded to Bennett in the middle. He earned an assist with a short pass to Dylan Hoop, who drilled it into the left corner for a 2-1 lead.
The Surge nailed the victory when Bennett sent a cross from the left corner to Nathan Hudson who got off a shot that Marc Hannson guided into the net with his chest.
Cranking up its attack, Georgia Perimeter sent a barrage of shots at Morgan in the closing minutes. With 2:36 remaining in the game, striker Leo Sanchez scored from the near right side, assisted by a pass from midfielder Momodou Sanneh. It was the fourth goal of the young season for Sanchez.
Darton College emerged from the four-team Jaguar Invitational with two victories. The Cavaliers beat Cincinnati State 4-2 Saturday and Tri-C 4-0 on Sunday. Georgia Perimeter and Cincinnati each lost one match and Tri-C lost two.
The Jaguars return to NJCAA Region 17 action next Saturday at Andrew College, beginning at 2 p.m. They visit the Oglethorpe University Junior Varsity on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 3 p.m., and then return home for another region matchup with South Georgia College on Sept. 18 at 2 p.m.
That game will be audio webcast beginning at 1:50 p.m. To listen, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.”
The Jaguars’ home games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
Darton wins Jaguar Invitational with shutout
Darton College came away from the weekend with the only unblemished record in the Jaguar Invitational, defeating Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) 4-0 Sunday for the Cavaliers’ second victory in as many days at GPC’s field on Dunwoody Campus.
All of Darton’s goals against Tri-C came in the first half. Mynor Perez started it off with a strike in the 18th minute.
Others scoring goals were Freshman Diego Aching, with 11:37 remaining in the half; Richard Westerfield (8:47) and Guilherme Frota (6:09).
The Cavaliers (4-0) fired 12 shots on goal, while their defense protected goalkeeper Kel Markert perfectly, allowing Tri-C (0-2) no shots on goal.
Darton will return to Dunwoody on Sept. 25 for the first of two region matches with Georgia Perimeter. The game will be Fan Appreciation Day for the Jaguars.
September 4, 2010
Host Jaguars kick off invitational with victory
Boubacar Toure and Leo Sanchez each scored two goals as the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team downed Cuyahoga Community College 6-0 Saturday at the Jaguar Invitational on GPC’s Dunwoody Campus.
Sanchez, a freshman striker from Fitzgerald, Ga., opened the scoring in the sixth minute of play on an assist by Toure. But then Georgia Perimeter (2-1) and the visitors from Cleveland, Ohio, battled through the first half to a 1-0 ballgame.
The second half opened like the first, with freshman midfielder Aaron Rygiel scoring within the first five minutes. Another frosh, Saudin Garanovic, earned the assist.
Ten minutes later the floodgates opened. Within a span of seven minutes the Jaguars posted three goals. Raul Arciniega got an assist from fellow freshman David Egri and scored with 30:42 showing on the scoreboard clock.
Next, Toure, last season’s leading scorer for the Jags, pumped in two goals in a four-minute span. The first came after goalkeeper Julian Garcia earned an assist by saving a shot and kicking the ball far downfield to set up a run on goal by Toure. Freshman Elvis Miller assisted on Toure’s second goal at 23:48.
Sanchez closed out the scoring with an assist by Rygiel with 4:44 remaining. GPC took 29 shots on goal while the Jaguar defense limited the Challengers (0-1) to only five shots on goal, all saved by Garcia. Georgia Perimeter outflanked Tri-C in corner kicks by a 12-1 margin.
The victory may help ease the pain for the Jaguars after their 1-0 loss to region rival Middle Georgia College Tuesday in Cochran. But there is no time to celebrate. Sunday GPC meets a strong squad from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.
Cincinnati State (3-1) has fourteen returning sophomores, including four who were selected to the All-Ohio Community College Athletic Conference first team. But the Surge fell to Darton College (2-0) in the second match of the invitational Saturday. GPC’s match with Cincinnati State will be audio broadcast online beginning at 12:15. To listen, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.“
The Jaguar Invitational will be played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
Darton tops Cincinnati State 4-2 in Jaguar Invitational
Darton College spread the scoring around to defeat Cincinnati State Technical and Community College 4-2 Saturday in the second match of the Jaguar Invitational at the Dunwoody Campus of Georgia Perimeter College.
Guilherme Frota struck first on a penalty kick with 8:12 remaining in the first period. He also got an assist on a second-half goal by fellow freshman Kevin Arellana.
In the last two minutes of the first half, Diego Aching netted a goal on an assist by Javier Anor to give the Cavaliers a 2-0 lead at the break.
Mynor Perez tallied early in the second half, assisted by Matt Tobin. Perez and Tobin were the only sophomores to register points for Darton (2-0).
Midway through the second half, Grant Kercher put Cincinnati State (3-1) on the board. Dylan Hooper was credited with the assist. Logan Gumbert finished the scoring for the Surge with a belt-high side-foot kick from out front with 14:23 remaining.
Darton launched 11 shots on goal to Cincinnati’s six. Cavalier goalkeeper Kel Markert had 4 saves, while Austin Morgan had seven saves for the Surge.
Sunday at 10 a.m., the Cavaliers play Cuyahoga Community College, while Cincinnati state takes on GPC at 12:15 p.m. The GPC-Cincinnati State game will be audio broadcast online beginning at 12:30. To listen, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.“
The Jaguar Invitational will be played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 2, 2010
National powers highlight Jaguar Invitational event
This weekend the Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars get to see how they stack up with another team that figures to be a national power. Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, which narrowly missed going to the NJCAA tournament last season and returns 14 sophomores, will play the Jaguars at noon Sunday in the Jaguar Invitational on the Dunwoody Campus.
Before that, the Jaguars meet another team from the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference, Cuyahoga Community College of Parma, at noon Saturday.
Darton College is the fourth team in the blue-ribbon event, playing Cincinnati State on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Cuyahoga on Sunday at 3.
Cincinnati State has four first-team OCCAC players among its returnees—Dylan Hoop, Grant Kercher, Austin Morgan and Cody Clark. Hoop was the leading goal scorer last season for the Surge, who have won the conference title five times in seven years. Morgan was the conference’s top goalkeeper, and Mike Combs was Coach of the Year.
The Surge, who received votes in the preseason NJCAA poll but didn’t crack the top 15, opened their season in Michigan, whipping two Region 12 rivals by a combined score of 15-0. They finished 15-2-1 last season but fell 2-0 in the region final to Schoolcraft College of Michigan. GPC narrowly defeated Schoolcraft on penalty kicks in the national semifinals when Jaguar goalkeeper Jason Andrew stopped four of six penalty kicks.
The Jaguars, ranked No. 2 in the preseason, are 1-1. They beat Gordon 6-0 at home before losing 1-0 to Middle Georgia in Cochran. GPC’s Saturday opponent, Cuyahoga, was 5-7-1 last season.
Darton, expected to contend in Region 17 along with GPC and Middle Georgia, visits Atlanta for its second and third matches of the season. The Cavaliers beat USC-Salkehatchie 6-0 at home in their opener as Mynor Perez scored three times.
Darton is led by a returning first-team all-Region 17 defender, Matias Aristegui. The Jaguars also have a returning first-teamer, midfielder Kingsley Morgan, who was Player of the Year in the region.
GPC’s games will be audio webcast beginning at 11:50 a.m. Saturday and 11:55 a.m. Sunday. To listen, visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.”
The Jaguar Invitational will be played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Click on Schedule/Results for times of the other games in the invitational.
Early miscue costly in 1-0 loss at Middle Georgia
The Georgia Perimeter College Jaguars committed a defensive lapse early and spent 86 frustrating minutes trying to catch up. But despite dominating on offense in the second half on Tuesday, they lost 1-0 to Middle Georgia College in Cochran.
The rare conference setback left the Jaguars 1-1 in the Georgia College Athletic Association as well as overall. Middle Georgia (2-0) was playing its opener in the league, also known as Region 17 of the NJCAA.
The Warriors’ Tyler Daly took a pass and slipped behind the defense to score from the right side with 41:20 remaining in the opening half. Running on goalkeeper Jason Andrew, the freshman forward drove a bullet to the upper left side of the net for the eventual game-winner.
As the match moved to its middle stages, Middle’s defense, led by sophomores Juan Salazare and Diego Barrios, frustrated the Jaguars, as did goalkeeper Thomas Raffo, who made several outstanding saves.
After GPC coach Marc Zagara reinserted his rested starters for the stretch run, the Jaguars produced chance after chance for the equalizer. They never got it. At one point they had an open net after Juan Arbelaez drew Raffo away from the right post along the baseline, but GPC failed to convert on his skillful cross.
The Warriors had few chances to score in the second half but didn’t need them.
The physical nature of the match left both sides circling the date Oct. 5 on their calendars. That’s when the rematch will be played on the Dunwoody Campus.
The Region 17 loss was only the third in six-plus years for the No. 2-ranked Jaguars, who are aiming for their seventh consecutive trip to the NJCAA tournament. Their next games are at home in the Jaguar Invitational against Ohio teams—Cuyahoga Community College on Saturday at noon and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College on Sunday, also at noon.
Both games will be carried on nhsbn.com, with a link available through www.gpc.edu/athletic.
The Jaguar Invitational will be played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Click on Schedule/Results for times of the other games in the invitational.
August 28, 2010
Jaguars roll in opener to give Zagara 300th win at GPC
Despite a roster loaded with sophomores duly ordained by last year’s 22-2 record and national championship appearance, neophyte freshmen boldly joined the scoring procession in their college baptismal rite. And they all helped Marc Zagara celebrate his 300th victory at Georgia Perimeter College.
Freshman Aaron Rygiel scored two goals and sophomore Alejandro Duque tallied a highlight-film goal and two assists to lead the Georgia Perimeter men’s soccer team to a 6-0 victory over Gordon College Friday in the season opener for both teams at GPC Dunwoody.
Alejandro Duque scored twice, including a shot from midfield.
The win extended Zagara’s phenomenal GPC record to 300-74-13. His overall college coaching record stands at 375-147-19.
The contest also was the opening match for both teams in the conference, the Georgia College Athletic Association, also known as Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Despited the lopsided score, Zagara said, “We’ve got more work to do. We’re not organized enough, not cohesive enough. But we scored six goals and we have a lot of horses.”
Duque’s second-half goal was a bomb lofted from near midfield that stunned the crowd and put the Jaguars up 3-0 and out of reach. Alex Joseph, another freshman, was credited with the assist.
Sophomores opened the scoring in the fourteenth minute when Boubacar Toure sailed a long cross from the left wing to the right post, where Aziz Izmour drove it into the net. But the lone freshman starter, forward Leo Sanchez, struck next with an assist from Momodou Sanneh.
The game was not as one-sided as the score indicates, as Georgia Perimeter freshmen scored three goals in the final 21 minutes after Gordon’s scrappy defender, Jimmy Fitzpatrick, left the game with a red card.
With the visitors down a man, the GPC freshmen went to work. Ahmed Mohamed scored to give the Jaguars a 4-0 lead, and Rygiel finished it with his two strikes. A corner kick by Duque and header by sophomore transfer Luke Bray assisted Mohamed, and the same duo registered assists on Rygiel’s goals.
The Jaguars kept coming with lines of fresh substitutes and visibly wore the Higlanders down. Despite an impressive showing by freshman goalkeeper Dushane Lue and a freshman defense led by Fitzpatrick and Alex Rodrigo, GPC launched 25 shots on goal and six corner kicks.
GPC’s midfielders and defenders dominated the game, giving little ground to the Gordon attack beyond the midfield line. The Highlanders managed only six shots on goal, all saved by sophomore goalkeeper Julian Garcia, who sat out last season after a sterling 2008 season in the Jaguar net.
“The defensive line was a little sloppy, but our middle is going to be tough to handle all year,” Zagara said.
As GPC’s waves of fresh talent came into the game, the Highlanders fell into fatigue and a ragged physical game. Javion Green, a steady defender for the Jaguars last season, left the game with an apparent ACL injury after a hard Gordon tackle. Tests Monday will determine the extent of Green’s injury.
Tuesday, the Jaguars travel to Cochran to meet region power Middle Georgia College. Both teams are ranked in the preseason NJCAA national poll. GPC sits at No. 2 behind defending champion Tyler College, while Middle Georgia received votes. The game will be audio webcast beginning at 3:50 p.m. To listen visit www.gpc.edu/athletic and click on the link under “Game Webcasts.”
Next Saturday and Sunday, Georgia Perimeter will host the Jaguar Invitational, featuring visitors Darton College, Cuyahoga Community College and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Darton and Cincinnati State both received votes in the national poll. The Jaguars play at noon on both days, Sept. 4 against Cuyahoga and Sept. 5 versus Cincinnati State.
The Jaguar Invitational will be played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. Click on Schedule/Results for times of the other games in the invitational.
August 27, 2010
Veteran GPC soccer team sets sights on ‘winning it all’
Does finishing national runner-up to Tyler (Texas) College in such excruciating fashion—a shootout after a scoreless tie—still bother Georgia Perimeter College’s Hall of Fame coach, Marc Zagara?
Boubacar Toure
“I’d be lying if I said no,” he admits.
Though he says GPC’s returning players feel likewise, last year’s NJCAA men’s soccer championship outcome has no effect on the Jaguars’ hunger this season. “Whether we won or lost last year, we’d still be trying to win it all this year,” he says.
The Jaguars, 22-2 last year, approach every season like that. GPC has reached the elite eight six straight seasons and advanced four times to the title match. It’s dynasty material.
This Friday, Aug. 27, the Jaguars kick off the 2010 season against Gordon at 5 p.m. at GPC’s Dunwoody campus, 2101 Womack Rd, Dunwoody, 30338. Admission is free.
Jason Andrew
Thirteen players return, along with two 2008 standouts and a sophomore transfer—the most veterans Zagara has had in 19 seasons at GPC, eclipsing the nine who came back for the 2005 season. “Of course, that was a good year,” he says, smiling at the memory of the school’s lone NJCAA national soccer championship.
Besides three ineligible players, Zagara replaces five 2009 players—four who earned D-1 scholarships at four-year institutions and a fifth, striker Junior Sandoval, who gave up another year of eligibility to join the Puerto Rico Islanders in America’s second-highest pro league.
“We have some very, very strong players,” Zagara says.
Kingsley Morgan
One is forward Boubacar Toure, a potential NCAA Division 1 player who led GPC with 39 points (15 goals and 9 assists) last season. “But he’s got some competition for a starting job,” Zagara says.
Similarly, Alejandro Duque (7 goals and 10 assists for 24 points), Juan Arbelaez (6-9-21), Rury Alvarez (6-6-18) and Kingsley Morgan (6-4-16) are top four-year-college prospects forming a dynamic strike force.
Additionally, midfielders Aziz Izmour and Momodou Sanneh are D-1 caliber in the eyes of Zagara and press observers.
Wearing down opponents with waves of fresh, gifted players is a familiar Jaguars M.O. That depth allowed Morgan to become an All-America selection despite playing barely half of each game on average.
Icing the cake is the reappearance of two 2008 standouts who were ineligible a year ago. Defender Fode Diallo was a freshman All-American. Goalkeeper Julian Garcia will challenge incumbent Jason Andrew.
Last year’s defense allowed only 18 goals in 24 matches. On Oct. 1, the Jaguars were 13-0, having allowed only four goals, while scoring 60. They permitted but two goals in three games at nationals.
Returning starters Thierry Betole and Mohammed Issahaku were defensive anchors. Diallo and a veteran midfield should produce phenomenal protection for Andrew and Garcia.
“Our defense will determine how far we go,” Zagara says. “They play well—we’ll go a long way. They struggle—we’re going to have troubles.”
Though strong rival Young Harris has left Region 17 and become a four-year college, a seventh straight conference title is no given for the Jaguars.
“Every one of the teams will be better,” says Zagara, citing Middle Georgia, Darton, South Georgia and Gordon.
Zagara will allow potential playoff brackets to fall the way they may, focusing on immediate concerns.
“You can control excellence,” he says. “You can’t control championships.”
June 25, 2010
Sandoval makes leap to pro soccer
A few months after helping Georgia Perimeter College finish second in the NJCAA tournament, Junior Sandoval has made the big leap to pro soccer.
Junior Sandoval
Sandoval, who had nine goals and 11 assists for 29 points in 12 regular-season matches as a striker for the Jaguars last season, signed with the Puerto Rico Islanders of the U.S. Soccer Federation Division-2 Pro League.
So far this summer, he has played in several matches with no statistics. His listed position with the Islanders is midfielder. Sandoval, a 20-year-old native of Honduras, made the leap from Centennial High School to the pros with a one-year stop at GPC. He was All-Region 17, and his 29 points ranked eighth in the conference.
As the Jaguars’ leading scorer, Sandoval’s stats might have been more gaudy had he not missed a few matches because of an ankle injury. Also, GPC coach Marc Zagara’s system emphasizes balance. The Jaguars produced seven of the top 16 scorers in the region.
GPC reached the national championship game last fall, playing Tyler College of Texas to a scoreless tie. After two scoreless 10-minute overtimes, Tyler won the national championship on penalty kicks.
The Jaguars have gone to the national tournament six consecutive years, winning in 2005 and finishing second three times. Their 2010 season begins Aug. 27 with a home conference match against Gordon College.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
December 9, 2009
Cayonne and Morgan named to All-America team
Richard Cayonne
Richard Cayonne and Kingsley Morgan, standouts for the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team, recently were named to the All-America first team of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Both players also earned first-team berths on the All-America squad selected annually by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Cayonne, a sophomore defender, and Morgan, a freshman midfielder, were major contributors during the Jaguars’ run to the NJCAA championship game. Georgia Perimeter finished with a a 22-2 record and a national runner-up trophy.
“I have always said individual awards usually go only to teams that have been very successful, and this is a reflection of that,” said GPC head coach Marc Zagara.
The combination of Morgan, Momodou Sanneh and Junior Sandoval—with Christian Ospina, Davian Davis, Alejandro Duque and Francisco Barbosa in relief—was perhaps the best midfield in junior college soccer.
“The award to Kingsley is a well deserved team honor reflecting how that group dominated virtually every game we played,” Zagara said.
Kingsley Morgan
Morgan scored 16 points on six goals and four assists. He started in all of the Jaguars’ 24 games and helped a diverse attack that resulted in an unusual number of players, 19, scoring goals.
Zagara noted that the strong midfield bolstered “one of the best defenses in the country. As a result we conceded the second or third fewest goals in the country.”
Cayonne, the team captain, anchored the left side of a defensive fortress that included freshmen Thierry Betole in the middle and Mohammed Issahaku on the right.
With the help of goalkeepers Jason Andrew and Brian Garcia, the defense gave up only 18 goals in 24 games, and only two goals in three games at the national tournament. The Jaguars posted 11 shutouts.
“Richard was a tenacious defender and an outstanding captain,” assistant coach Ron Moore said. “He never gave up, and his spirit was contagious. Kingsley and Richard both were leaders on and off the field.”
Both were named to the first team All-Region 17 first team (also known as the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association).
Only one other player from Region 17 made the NJCAA All-America list—high-scoring Sebastian Lara of Darton College received honorable mention.
Georgia Perimeter won the region tournament and Southeast District championship before falling in the NJCAA title match to Tyler College of Texas 1-0 (Tyler won on penalty kicks 5-3).
Cayonne received a full scholarship to play next year at Coastal Carolina University.
November 22, 2009
Déjà vu: GPC finishes second in nation
Penalty kick nightmares may haunt Marc Zagara and Nigel Lake.
Tyler College of Texas won the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 men’s soccer title with a victory over Georgia Perimeter College in a match decided by penalty kicks.
After regulation play and two 10-minute overtimes produced a scoreless tie, the Apaches made all five of their penalty kicks while the Jaguars made three of four. Freshman defender Martin Seiler nailed the deciding kick for Tyler.
The Jaguars (22-2) were making their sixth straight trip to the nationals, held this year in West Windsor, N.J. They won the championship in 2005 and now have three second-place finishes—2004, 2007 and 2009.
Sunday’s penalty-kick loss to Tyler (21-0) was déjà vu for Zagara, head coach of the Jaguars, and Lake, who played in the 2007 national championship game.
The Jaguars lost that game to Yavapai College (Ariz.) on penalty kicks, and Lake converted a penalty kick in that shootout.
This marks the fifth of six shootouts the Jaguars have lost at the national tournament.
Ninety minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods failed to produce a winner even though GPC had several good opportunities—and a couple of golden ones. The Jaguars launched 11 shots, seven of which were shots on goal.
“We had good chances. We just couldn’t finish it,” Zagara said.
GPC failed to score despite playing the final 8:49 of regulation and through the two 10-minute overtimes with a one-man advantage after Tyler midfielder Harry Machacha received his second yellow card, producing an automatic red card.
Fortunately, Georgia Perimeter’s defense was very stubborn in denying the Apaches access to scoring position and kept the Jaguars in the game. Tyler took only five shots on goal and got off two other shots.
GPC dominated the entire first half—and most of the second—keeping the ball mostly in their offensive end of the field. Early in the game the Jaguars muffed a two-on-one breakaway. A few minutes later a good opportunity sailed over the cross bar. Then a ball missed the left post by two feet.
But their biggest disappointment was to play more than 28 minutes, including the overtimes, with a man advantage and not win the game. It was a tribute to Tyler’s clinging defense.
Tyler revived its offensive attack in the second half, keeping control of the ball from the 62nd minute until the 72nd, when GPC finally kept the ball across the half line for more than a few seconds.
“They are a very good team—very disciplined,” Zagara said. “I think we are a better team, but we couldn’t convert the opportunities.”
If the overtimes have not broken a tie, NJCAA rules give each team five penalty shots. The Jaguars matched Tyler on the first two shots.
Junior Sandoval buried his shot into the left corner after the Apache’s Kyle Nicholls scored on GPC goalkeeper Jason Andrew. Then Dom Dwyer converted to give Tyler a 2-1 lead.
Alejandro Duque stepped up and repeated his move from Friday’s semifinal penalty kick victory over Schoolcraft College. He gently poked it into the left side after Tyler goalkeeper Juan Robles had committed to the right.
After Andy Brooks booted one in for Tyler, Rury Alvarez slammed it to the left, but Robles made a diving block to preserve the Apaches’ 3-2 advantage.
Defender Shaunovan Wilson converted to make it 4-2. That put the pressure on freshman midfielder Davian Davis—if he missed, the game was over.
Davis nailed the ball into the upper left corner, cutting the lead to 4-3.
That left one last chance for GPC. If Seiler missed, the Jaguars would have a final shot to tie it. But Seiler rose to the occasion and ended the day’s high drama, driving his penalty kick past Andrew into the upper right corner of the net.
Andrew and Alvarez were named to the All-Tournament team.
November 21, 2009
Nationals Notebook: It’s down to Hall of Famer vs. Hall of Famer
Notes from the 2009 National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 men’s soccer tournament in West Windsor, N.J.
Why West Windsor? A suburb of Trenton, it is the home of Mercer County Community College, the site of the tournament. Mercer County is a pretty campus with a seasoned tree canopy and a nice soccer stadium.
Georgia Perimeter College photographer Bill Roa rode the chartered bus with the men’s soccer team to Trenton, a 13-hour ride. They’re very polite and mature,” he says of the Jaguars.
Trenton appears to be especially hit by a declining economy—the downtown is very boarded up and far from thriving. The surviving businesses resemble sweet blossoms on dying vines.
Banners at the Marriott proclaim, “Free Wi-Fi in the lobby.” With several teams staying at the hotel, that meant that the lobby was perpetually dotted with student athletes glued to their laptops, some Facebooking, some with class papers sprawled about their tables.
Others spent mornings, afternoons and evenings playing soccer video games on the lobby’s mile-wide TV monitor. When the Jaguars left the TV, the Ocelots (Schoolcraft College) or the Apaches (Tyler College) took over the seats.
Breakfast occurred at Café Ole, a few doors away from the Marriott, a basic eggs and potatoes fare on paper plates. You can’t accuse Jaguar soccer of extravagance during an economic downturn.
Several hundred high school cheerleaders came into town for a competition, and many were staying at the Marriott. Not the ideal situation for staying focused on homework and the game plan.
Needless to say, there were winks and smiles from both genders, but the Jaguars are cool. They were relaxed, but in town on a serious business matter. Roa’s assessment is confirmed. These gentlemen are polite and mature, great ambassadors for GPC.
Members of the press box agreed that Georgia Perimeter’s games were the most interesting of the first two rounds—a 2-1 double overtime victory over Essex County College (N.J.) on Thursday and Friday’s double overtime/penalty kick victory over Schoolcraft College (Mich.).
Sheldon Palmer was an extremely dangerous threat for Essex. He is the 11th highest scorer in the nation and was quick with the feet. But the Wolverines didn’t support him with solid combinations. They constantly tried to boom the ball to give him a breakaway, and the GPC defense kept him contained.
The Essex fans were numerous and vocal. It gave their players the hometown advantage.
Virginia “Ginny” Zagara, Marc Zagara’s mother got to the stadium with her walker and sat in the front row of the bleachers, cheering through a megaphone, her usual routine at Jaguar home games. She and Laurie Moore and a few Jaguar parents were sorely outnumbered by the Essex crowd.
Friday morning, Mrs. Zagara complained to Roa that she didn’t have the drum that she pounds at Dunwoody games. She asked for a hammer to pound on the metal bleachers. Roa procured two wooden sticks for the cause.
The Jaguars were mighty banged up Friday. Essex County was a very physical team. That presents a challenge to the Jaguars, a team that lives on technique and finesse.
“It can have a long-term affect on a team at a tournament,” Zagara said of the aches and bruises inflicted by Essex.
And then Friday’s marathon match was physically draining. Though Schoolcraft College played a cleaner game they played a hard game.
Schoolcraft, like Essex, reacted to GPC’s powerful, balanced offense. Both Essex and Schoolcraft laid back on defense, which disrupted their offensive thrust.
This also relieved the forward pressure on the GPC defense, giving them time to methodically launch the attack.
The first half with Schoolcraft was such an intensive defensive battle that GPC got off no shots on goal—and few shots at all—and Schoolcraft had only two shots.
Two professors from Mercer County Community College broadcasted the Schoolcraft game Friday for local TV. Over the course of the broadcast, they became enamored with the Jaguars.
They remarked often about Junior Sandoval’s blue shoes and would say, “Blue Shoes brings it up the middle.” They made much of the Jaguars’ cranked-up intensity after Schoolcraft took a 1-0 lead. They loved how Juan Arbelaez moves the ball swiftly down the left side and sets up the offense.
Everybody remarks on GPC’s midfielders. They rock.
The penalty kicks ending the Schoolcraft game were sports high drama at its finest.
Jason Andrew shook hands with the first Schoolcraft shooter, Kenny Vasquez. Sportsmanship moves the soul.
Andrew’s four stops of excellent shots inspired awe—his long body thrown at the ball, fists/wrists punching it away.
Junior Sandoval took the first penalty kick for the Jaguars, facing the top goalkeeper in the nation, Ian McDonald-Wilkins. The goalie moved right and Sandoval hammered it into the left corner.
Alejandro Duque, taking the second shot for GPC, faked to the right and tapped a slow roller to the left. The ball meandered into the net like a baseball pitcher’s change-up. The crowd was stunned by the technique, not certain of what it had just witnessed. It was so unusual that it seemed to freeze McDonald-Wilkins.
Now, all GPC needed for victory was another goal in three tries. Would Juan Arbelaez win the game as he did against Essex? Not this time. His hard shot banged against the cross bar and bounced out.
Schoolcraft scored two PKs in a row, tying it 2-2. Either Kingsley Morgan or Rury Alvarez had to score for the Jaguars.
Morgan tossed back his long hair and boomed a great shot, but it hit the right post.
McDonald-Wilkins stopped Alvarez’ low hard kick.
So, the match went to the extra sixth penalty kick round. Andrew made one of his diving stops on the Schoolcraft kick.
The veteran Nigel Lake stepped up. He had scored the first penalty kick in 2007 when GPC lost the national championship to Yavapai College (Ariz.).
Lake calmly won the game with a hard kick to the lower left corner that eluded McDonald-Wilkins’ reach.
Georgia Perimeter is 5-0 this season in overtime games.
Wednesday was not only induction night for Marc Zagara into the NJCAA Hall of Fame—it also was his birthday. Saturday night after supper at TGIF, the Jaguars surprised him with a cake and an off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Zagara’s sister and brother-in-law were in attendance.
After the birthday celebration, some Jaguars watched two teams from Columbia playing a soccer match. A Columbian scored a long, hard shot, and Alvarez went into his celebration routine, dancing around the room.
Cheikh Mbaye sat at a corner table, typing a research paper for Mr. Rogers’ English 1102 at Dunwoody—and watching the game. Thierry Betole was at another, working on an assignment for economics class—taught by Zagara.
Junior Sandoval’s assessment of the first two games, both overtimes: “We were not playing our game, we didn’t create enough opportunities. We have to start hard to take care of the game and be the No. 1 team.”
Mbaye on the teams in the tournament: “The defenses here are tougher than we’ve been playing. Tyler’s a great team, so we need to play as a team.”
Betole, also on the other teams: “It’s totally different. They’re bigger and faster than teams we’ve been playing.”
Betole, on success as a defender: “I’m always prepared. When you win the ball in the air or with the feet, you gain confidence. Confidence is the key.”
It comes down to this Sunday: No. 1 in the nation vs. No. 2.
Tyler College, undefeated at 20-0 and ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA national poll, meets No. 2 Georgia Perimeter College (22-1).
Both teams have endless depth and substitute freely. Both have balanced scoring. Both have terrific defenses. Both defeated Louisburg, GPC by a 4-1 score, Tyler by 3-1.
Both head coaches, Zagara and Steve Clements, were inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame Wednesday at the annual association banquet on the Mercer County campus.
What a story. What a game this is going to be. It doesn’t get any better than this.
November 20, 2009
Jaguars claw way to title game
Nigel Lake shot an overtime penalty kick in the national championship game in 2007, when Yavapai College defeated his team on penalty kicks to take away the trophy.
Jason Andrew stops a penalty kick.
Friday, Lake propelled himself and the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team back into the National Junior College championship game with a penalty kick.
After two 10-minute overtimes and after goalkeeper Jason Andrew stopped four of six penalty kicks, the Jaguars won a marathon 1-1 victory (3-2 on penalty kicks) over Schoolcraft College in the NJCAA semifinals.
GPC (22-1) advances to Sunday’s 2 p.m. national championship game against Tyler (Texas) College. Tyler, undefeated (20-0) and ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA national poll, defeated Louisburg (N.C.) 2-0 in the earlier semifinal Friday.
“It’s the first shootout we ever won in tournament play—we’ve lost four,” said GPC head coach Marc Zagara. “It’s a horrible way for Schoolcraft to end the season, and I know that feeling.”
With the score 1-1 after regulation time and the overtimes, GPC faced the formidable task of scoring penalty kicks against the nation’s number one-ranked goalkeeper, Ian McDonald-Wilkins. Coming into the tourney, McDonald-Wilkins had a 0.45 goals-against average, allowing only seven goals all season.
Each team is allowed five penalty kicks in an NJCAA shootout. Andrew expertly knocked away Schoolcraft’s first two shots with dives, while GPC took a 2-0 lead on kicks by Junior Sandoval and Alejandro Duque.
Schoolcraft (17-2-2) rallied to tie it with kicks by Bim Ogunyemi and Ognen Stemenkovic.
On the extra sixth kicks, Andrew stopped Ya Ya Toure’s shot, and then Lake slammed the game-winner into the bottom left corner past the diving McDonald-Wilkins.
“My approach was to stay confident and take the shot,” Lake said, “and get my teammates into the championship game.”
The first half featured a classic defensive stalemate, with neither squad getting a good look at the goal. Schoolcraft took numerous free kicks and corner kicks, and GPC’s defense denied them.
At one point Jaguar defender Thierry Betole headed the ball out of crowds three times in a three-minute period.
Late in the first half, the Jaguars seized the momentum and never relinquished it, keeping the ball mostly in their offensive end, knocking on the door.
Only 39 seconds into the second half, Schoolcraft’s Dane Laird poked the ball through a pile-up a few feet in front of the left post and found a hole for the first score of the game.
But in the 72nd minute, Rury Alvarez boomed one from 35 yards out and got it past McDonald-Wilkins to tie the game 1-1.
Although GPC dominated the two overtimes, the Jaguars couldn’t convert several opportunities. With five minutes in the second overtime, Schoolcraft fell to 10 players on a red card, but GPC still couldn’t capitalize on the one-player advantage.
Georgia Perimeter entered the tournament ranked No. 2 in the nation, while Schoolcraft was No. 3.
Tyler College beat Louisburg College 3-1 in its semifinal Friday. The Apaches beat Georgia Perimeter in 2008 on the Jaguars’ home field.
In the loser’s bracket, Yavapai College (Ariz.) defeated Iowa Central Community College 2-0, and Essex County College (N.J.) nipped Barton County Community College (Kan.) 2-1 on penalty kicks. Yavapai and Essex County will play Sunday at 11 p.m. for third and fourth place.
November 19, 2009
Jaguars advance to Final Four
Juan Arbelaez scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime as Georgia Perimeter College beat Essex County College (N.J.) 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA national tournament in West Windsor, N.J.
Juan Arbelaez, right, celebrates the game-winner with Kingsley Morgan.
With the victory, GPC advances to Friday’s semifinal round, playing Schoolcraft College (Mich.), which defeated Barton County Community College (Kan.) 2-0 in Thursday’s nightcap.
One minute and 26 seconds into the second 10-minute overtime, Arbelaez beat Essex goalkeeper Marco Ortiz to a long pass to the right of the goal and sent an open shot into the left corner of the net.
Georgia Perimeter (21-1) dominated much of the game, taking 16 shots on goal. Ortiz made numerous splendid saves to keep the Wolverines in the game.
“They played a very physical game,” said head coach Marc Zagara. “It kept them in the game.”
Georgia Perimeter’s defensive line—Thierry Betole, Richard Cayonne and Mohammed Issahaku— allowed only four shots on goal. They nearly shut down the Wolverine’s lightning-quick forwards, Sheldon Palmer and Herve Valcourt.
But after a tight struggle through most of the first half, Palmer drew the first blood with 13:30 on the clock, driving a hard shot on a breakaway from the right side into the left net that GPC goalie Jason Andrew barely missed with an outstretched hand.
Arbaelez tied the game by forcing an own goal on Essex County (15-3-2) late in the first half, hammering a shot from the right side that hit a defender’s foot and bounced over Ortiz’ head into the goal.
Schoolcraft College came into the tournament ranked No. 3, right behind GPC.
In the opening quarterfinal game, No. 1 Tyler College defeated Iowa Community College 5-1. Louisburg College downed Yavapai College 3-1 in the second game.
November 19, 2009
GPC’s Zagara inducted to soccer Hall of Fame
When Marc Zagara coached his inaugural season of men’s soccer at Georgia Perimeter College 18 years ago, could he have dreamed of the success he would achieve over the next two decades?
Marc Zagara was inducted into the Hall of Fame Wednesday.
As his team rested for a first-round national tournament match, Zagara was inducted Wednesday to the National Junior College Athletic Association Soccer Hall of Fame.
The ceremony took place at the site of the NJCAA national tournament, Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, N.J., near Trenton. Zagara was recognized, at the annual NJCAA banquet on the Mercer County Campus, for his outstanding lifetime record (372-148-19) and especially for his phenomenal 18 years at Georgia Perimeter.
He has built a regional and national dynasty at Georgia Perimeter, known as DeKalb College during his early years at the school. He boasts a stellar 297-73-13 record at GPC. The lifetime record includes seven years as head coach at Finger Lakes Community College in New York.
In three of the past five national NJCAA tournaments, Georgia Perimeter has played in the championship game, winning the national championship in 2005 with a 20-2-1 record.
The Jaguars took the runner-up title in 2004 and 2007, finished in fifth place in 2006 and tied for fifth last year. Regularly ranked in the top 10 nationally, the Jaguars have made the elite eight in nine of the past 14 years.
Zagara’s teams have won the NJCAA Region 17 championship in 13 of his 18 seasons at GPC. He has coached 29 All-Americans, and 12 players have gone on to play professional soccer.
The Jaguars enter this year’s elite eight national tournament ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA poll with a 20-1 record. They play Essex County (N.J.) College in a first round match Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
An associate professor, Zagara teaches economics at GPC’s Dunwoody campus, where the men’s soccer stadium is located.
Joining him in the Hall of Fame induction was Steve Clements of Tyler Junior College, which enters the national tournament undefeated (20-0) and ranked No. 1. The duo also will be inducted later this month in a ceremony at a separate NJCAA banquet in Herkimer, N.Y.
November 18, 2009
Jaguars aim for national title
The Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer Jaguars rolled into Trenton, N.J. Wednesday with a 20-1 record, a No. 2 ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll and an awareness that the real season is just beginning.
“Everything else just leads up to this,” said head coach Marc Zagara, who Wednesday evening was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. “This is what all the work was about back in August.”
The goal in the heat of August is the goal in the cool of November: to win the NJCAA national tournament being held Thursday through Sunday in West Windsor, N.J., on the turf of Mercer County Community College.
GPC meets No. 8 ranked Essex County College in a first round game Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Essex, a New Jersey school, will almost have home-field advantage. They’ve played Mercer County twice this season.
The Wolverines (15-2-2) lost to Mercer County 3-0 during the regular season, and then upset the then-ranked No. 3 Vikings 1-0 to win the Region 19 championship.
Coached by Hugo Pierre, Essex County features a one-two, with the 10th and 11th top scorers in the nation. Tenth-ranked Herve Valcourt, a midfielder, has 47 points on 18 goals and 11 assists, while forward Sheldon Palmer has 17 goals and 11 assists for 45 points.
Goalkeeper Marco Ortiz ranks 23rd in the NJCAA with a 0.90 goals against average. He’s allowed 16 goals out of 126 shots on goal.
Georgia Perimeter features a dangerous and balanced offense—19 players have scored goals. Leading the pack is Junior Sandoval with 29 points from nine goals and 11 assists.
Alejandro Duque has posted 24 points (seven goals, 10 assists), followed by Flavio Souza (22 points, eight goals, six assists), Juan Arbelaez (six goals, nine assists) and Cheikh Mbaye (nine goals, two assists).
The Jaguars’ midfield and defense has been outstanding all season, and the goalkeeping duo represent the nation’s No. 16 Jason Andrews and No. 17 Brian Garcia keepers. Andrews sports a 0.75 goals against average (47 saves on 55 shots on goal) and Garcia is at 0.76 (63 saves, 71 shots). They and the defense have allowed 16 goals and have posted 10 shutouts.
If the Jaguars win Thursday, they will play Friday at 5 p.m. against the winner of the Schoolcraft College-Barton Community College first-round nightcap. If they lose to Essex, they meet the Schoolcraft-Barton loser on Friday at noon.
One promising indicator—GPC defeated Mercer County 6-1 in September, while Essex County split with the Vikings.
“We’ll be competitive if the guys stick to business and do their jobs,” Zagara said.
He should know the formula—his record at GPC is 297-73-13, and his teams have gone to nationals in nine of the last 14 years, winning the national championship in 2005 and finishing second in 2004 and 2007.
November 16, 2009
Eight Jaguars make All-Region
Richard Cayonne
The Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team placed eight players on the National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region 17 team.
Named to the first team were sophomore defender Richard Cayonne and two freshmen midfielders, Junior Sandoval and Kingsley Morgan.
Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Garcia made the second team, along with striker Boubacar Toure and defender Thierry Betole, both freshmen.
Two sophomores received honorable mention, striker Flavio Souza and midfielder Nigel Lake.
Junior Sandoval
Region 17 (also known as the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association) consists of two-year institutions in Georgia with men’s soccer teams: Andrew College, Gordon College, Darton College, South Georgia College, Young Harris College, Georgia Military College and Middle Georgia College.
Toure, who missed nine games with an injury, is ranked No. 34 in scoring in the nation with 15 goals and nine assists for 39 points.
Garcia is ranked No. 17 among the nation’s junior college goalkeepers. Playing 13 games in the net, he has posted a 0.76 goals against average, with 63 saves of 71 shots on goal.
Kingsley Morgan
GPC dominated at midfield all season, led by Sandoval, Morgan and Lake. The midfielders and Souza were keys to a diverse attack that resulted in an unusual number of players scoring goals.
Georgia Perimeter (20-1) won the region tournament and Southeast District championship and will be playing in the NJCAA national tournament this weekend near Trenton, N.J. The Jaguars meet Essex County (N.J.) College.
November 7, 2009
Jaguars head back to nationals
Even as the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team was wrapping up yet another berth in the national tournament, the buzz was beginning: Can these Jaguars bring home another title?
Cheikh Mbaye scores to make it 2-0.
Ranked No. 2 in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll, they like their chances.
“We definitely can contend,” said sophomore midfielder Nigel Lake, who scored a goal in the Jaguars’ 5-0 victory over Wallace State Community College of Hanceville, Ala., in the Southeastern District championship game on a sunny, drama-free afternoon at the Dunwoody Campus.
“We have the talent,” said Lake, who played on the 2007 team that finished second in the nation but was redshirted last season because of an injury.
Team chemistry? “On the field, off the field, we are one.”
The Jaguars (20-1), champions of Region 17, will make their sixth consecutive trip to the nationals, Nov. 19-22 in West Windsor, N.J. To head coach Mark Zagara, just rubbing elbows with the best is a bigger deal than potential hardware to be won. The Jaguars were national champs in 2005.
The Jagaurs celebrate GPC’s sixth straight district championship.
“The kids will be seen by scouts and get offers,” he said. “They will make 10 times as much in scholarship funds as the cost of the trip. It’s a big thing for me to be a part of that. We’ve got only four sophomores, but the freshmen will get early notice.”
The victory over Wallace State (10-6-1), champion of Region 22, wasn’t in doubt after halftime, when GPC led 3-0. The Lions spent the final 45 minutes in damage-control mode, leaving little energy for offense as the Jaguars’ trademark depth asserted itself more by the minute. They finished with just two shots on goal to GPC’s 23.
GPC went ahead 1-0 with 29:18 remaining in the first half on a point-blank header by Junior Sandoval on a crossing pass from Boubacar Toure. With 12:51 remaining in the half, Cheikh Mbaye made it 2-0 with an assist from Francisco Barbella. The third goal came after a corner kick by Qassimlu Hamad. After the ball touched Toure, Davian Davis rammed it home.
Thirty seconds after halftime, Toure headed a ball into the crossbar, one of several GPC shots that came within an eyelash of going in.
The fourth goal came with 37:54 remaining, by Lake on an assist from Juan Arbelaez. Rury Alvarez produced the final score on a 20-yard free kick with 11:35 remaining.
Soon after, the Jaguars were celebrating with their trophy, presented by school President Dr. Anthony S. Tricoli, and making travel plans.
“We’ve got a better chance than most,” said Zagara. “We certainly have a better chance than the 200 teams who aren’t playing.” Zagara, whose 18-year record at GPC is 297-71-13, will be inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame at the national tournament.
November 1, 2009
Jaguars win sixth straight region title
After a bumpy start, the road to the national men’s soccer tournament got smoother Sunday for Georgia Perimeter College.
The Jaguars (19-1), No. 2 in the NJCAA ratings, notched their sixth straight Region 17 playoff title by downing Young Harris College 4-1 in Albany.
The Jaguars display their trophy.
The win sends GPC, which survived an overtime scare Saturday against Darton, to the NJCAA Southeast District round next Saturday. The Jaguars will play host to Wallace State Community College (Ala.), with the winner heading to the nationals Nov. 19-22 in Trenton, N.J.
Young Harris (14-5), ranked 14th, extended the Jaguars into overtime but lost 2-1 during their regular season encounter on Oct. 6. On Oct. 20 Georgia Perimeter slipped by the Mountain Lions 1-0.
GPC had an easier time Sunday in what has become standard fashion: the opponent hangs tough through the first half, then gets overwhelmed by the Jaguars’ depth in the second.
Boubacar Toure, whose goal in the extra period saved GPC against Darton, tallied twice more Sunday.
Boubacar Toure scores one of his two goals.
Three minutes into the second half, he put the Jaguars up 2-0 by eluding only the goalkeeper after assist man Flavio Souza avoided a trap just outside the box and delivered the ball between two defenders.
Toure’s next goal, with seven minutes left, almost immediately answered Young Harris’ lone score. The assist went to Javion Green.
Richard Cayonne accounted for the only goal in the first half when he sent a blast into the box and it bounced past the Lions’ goalkeeper and into the net.
GPC’s third goal was claimed by Rury Alvarez on a low, hard shot from 25 yards out. Cheikh Mbaye was credited with an assist.
The Jaguars held a 15-9 advantage on shots, with GPC keeper Jason Andrew making six saves.
Toure was named to the All-Tournament team, along with three teammates: freshman defender Mohammed Issahaku and freshmen midfielders Momodou Sanneh and Alejandro Duque.
Saturday’s district championship game with Wallace State (10-5-1) will begin at 1 p.m.
October 31, 2009
GPC advances with overtime thriller
The Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team avenged its only defeat of the season and moved one step closer to returning to the national championships with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory Saturday over host Darton College in Albany.
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Boubacar Toure scored the game-winner.
The Jaguars (18-1), which fell to their current No. 2 standing in the NJCAA polls after a 4-2 defeat to Darton three weeks ago, advanced to Sunday’s championship match of the Region 17 tournament. They will play the survivor of the late Saturday match between Middle Georgia College (14-4) and 14th-ranked Young Harris College (13-4).
Freshman striker Boubacar Toure, who played a role in GPC’s first goal, delivered the game-winner with about three minutes left in the first extra period.
The sequence began when Alejandro Duque sent a long pass to Nigel Lake. He deposited the ball into the box for Toure, who caught it, turned and blasted it in from a difficult angle.
Toure was about to score the Jaguars’ first goal with 31 minutes remaining in regulation when he was tackled in the box, drawing a penalty. Duque took the PK, leveling the score at 1-1.
The Jaguars celebrate the victory.
Darton’s lone goal was scored just minutes into the match. The Cavaliers (12-4-1) were limited to five shots as goalkeeper Jason Andrew turned away four of them. The Jaguars aimed 17 shots at the Darton keeper.
GPC has struggled all season against Darton, having won 2-1 at home. The Cavaliers were again competitive until the Jaguars’ depth wore them down.
Darton could not muster up a single shot on goal after halftime. GPC’s back line, led by Richard Cayonne and Thierry Betole, held down the fort until the offense could generate enough goals for the win.
It represents the third overtime victory of the season for the Jaguars, with the other two coming against the remaining two teams in the tournament. GPC beat Young Harris 2-1 in OT early in October and a week later took Middle Georgia 3-2. In all three matches, the winning goal has come in the first overtime period.
The Jaguars have won the region tournament five consecutive seasons and in 12 of the past 16 years.
October 30, 2009
Trademark depth to be tested in Albany
For years a hallmark of Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer has been its overpowering depth. This year’s team, boasting a 17-1 record and a No. 2-ranking among the nation’s NJCAA teams, has been no exception. In fact, it may have raised the bar.
“We have two full squads of good players,” says assistant coach Ron Moore, in his 16th season in that capacity. “We play two teams consistently during the game.”
The formula, so carefully crafted by head coach and Hall-of-Fame inductee Marc Zagara, faces a challenge this weekend. The Jaguars enter the Region 17 semifinals Saturday with many starters injured and playing the team that delivered their one defeat, Darton College.
Two weeks ago the Cavaliers (12-3-1) beat then-No. 1 Georgia Perimeter 4-2 on the very field where the region tournament will be played, in Albany on Darton’s campus.
The bad news is Junior Sandoval, a dangerous playmaker and striker, may be out with an injured foot; Aziz Izmour has been sidelined; striker Rury Alvarez is nursing a pulled hamstring. Boubacar Toure, a recent steady scorer; Thierry Betole, a leading defender—it’s an All-Region bench party.
The good news is the available players—starters and second stringers—have been nothing short of phenomenal.
Defender Richard Cayonne represents a potential All-America defender, and he was sitting out with card issues during the loss to Darton. Momodou Sanneh is a major contributor to the defensive wall, and Kingsley Morgan is a force at both ends of the field. The defense has allowed only 14 goals, and some of the credit goes to stingy goalkeepers Jason Andrew and Brian Garcia.
Scoring has come from nearly every player, so balanced is the attack. The likes of Juan Arbelaez, Flavio Souza, Cheikh Mbaye, Qassimlu Hamad, Alejandro Duque, Nigel Lake and numerous others have full potential to turn the tables on the host team.
Not many teams produce three NJCAA players of the week as have the Jaguars this season—Garcia, Duque and Toure.
What will be the deciding factor, the missing starters or the incredible depth? One thing is certain—it will be an interesting weekend for Jaguar soccer.
Tournament schedule (all games at Darton College in Albany): Semifinals, Saturday, 6 p.m., No. 2 GPC vs. Darton College; Saturday, 8:30 p.m., No. 14 Young Harris (13-4) vs. Middle Georgia College (14-4); Championship Game, Sunday, 3 p.m.
October 24, 2009
Second half goals bring 17th win
Kingsley Morgan scored the game-winning goal as the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team closed its regular season with a 3-1 victory over Andrew College Saturday at the Dunwoody Campus.
Juan Arbelaez takes a shot during the Jaguars’ 3-1 victory.
Andrew had fought the nation’s No. 2 junior college team to a first-half 1-1 draw, but Morgan’s 30-yard blast into the upper right corner of the goal turned the tide.
As winner of the North Sub-Region of NJCAA Region 17, GPC (17-1, 10-0) most likely will play Darton College next Saturday at the region tournament in Albany. The Jaguars enter the four-team tourney as the No. 1 seed.
With injuries and numerous regulars benched with card issues, GPC coach Marc Zagara had only 13 Jaguars in the rotation. A sluggish first half resulted.
But at 18:02 Momodou Sanneh scored with an assist by Qassimlu Hamad to give Georgia Perimeter a 1-0 lead.
The Fighting Tigers (5-8-1, 2-7) came back with 4:56 remaining in the half to tie it when Christopher Grainger took a pass from Gilmer Medina and shot from 8 yards out. Goalkeeper Brian Garcia got a hand on the ball, but it wandered into the goal.
In the second half, Morgan scored the game-winner with 17:32 left on the clock. Juan Arbelaez was credited with an assist.
Little more than three minutes later, Cheikh Mbaye tallied an insurance goal inside the box with an assist from Flavio Souza to make it 3-1.
Georgia Perimeter took 23 shots on goal, while Andrew sent only two shots at Garcia, who saved one.
The Jaguars’ tournament semifinal next Saturday will begin at 6 p.m. The other two teams in the tourney will be Young Harris College and Middle Georgia College.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
October 21, 2009
Former Jaguar named to Guyana national team
Former Georgia Perimeter College goalkeeper Roland Day recently was tapped by the Guyana Football Federation to serve on the Guyana national team.
The national team is training for the Suriname Independence Four-Nations Tournament.
“This is a great opportunity for Roland and I am confident he will make the most of it,” said GPC head coach Marc Zagara.
Day played on the Jaguar men’s soccer team when they won the 2005 NJCAA national championship.
October 20, 2009
Mbaye’s goal enough to win
One goal by Cheikh Mbaye was all the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team needed Tuesday. Now the Jaguars, ranked No. 1 among two-year colleges, are closer to their goal of reaching the NJCAA tournament.
Road-weary GPC fended off Young Harris College 1-0, and the Jaguars rinsed out the bitter taste of their first loss this season, a 4-2 stumble Saturday at Darton College. That loss likely will cost the Jaguars’ their top ranking when Wednesday’s poll comes out.
But the Jaguars (16-1, 9-0) have clinched the North Sub-Region of the Georgia Junior College Athletics Association and will be rewarded with a first-round bye in the playoffs that begin next week.
Tuesday’s match was rescheduled from Sept. 22, which was postponed because of inclement weather.
Mbaye scored the lone goal a half-hour into the game. Defender Richard Cayonne passed to him from midfield, and he struck a knuckler from at least 25 yards out past the Mountain Lions goalkeeper.
GPC keepers Jason Andrew and Brian Garcia each played one half and combined for 10 saves on 12 shots by Young Harris (11-4, 6-3).
Georgia Perimeter’s defense was bolstered by Mohammed Issahaku, who was moved to the back line from his normal position of striker because of injuries to teammates.
The Jaguars, who beat Young Harris 2-1 in overtime two weeks earlier, completed a string of four straight away matches and will conclude their regular season against Region 17 foe Andrew College at 2 p.m. Saturday on the Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
October 17, 2009
Darton snaps 16 game streak
A recent nemesis knocked off Georgia Perimeter College on Saturday, bumping the Jaguars from the unbeaten ranks of men’s soccer and likely from the top rung of the national rankings.
Darton College won 4-2 in Albany on a cold, windy day. The Cavaliers (11-2-1) had given GPC a scare last month, losing 2-1 on the Dunwoody campus, and beat the Jaguars last season.
The Jaguars (15-1), rated first in the NJCAA poll, suffered their first defeat in 16 games. One blessing: Though Darton is a fellow Region 17 member, it was a non-conference match, which leaves GPC 8-0 in the GJCAA.
The Jaguars jumped ahead 2-0 when Junior Sandoval passed to Boubacar Toure for a goal and Nigel Lake scored off of a corner kick started by Juan Arbelaez. Sandoval also earned an assist.
But the Cavaliers, initiating their offense with long balls, closed to within 2-1 at halftime, then equalized on a goal via corner kick.
GPC began to push forward in search of a go-ahead score, but Darton counterattacked with a pair of goals. The Cavaliers also missed a penalty kick.
The Jaguars sorely missed two defenders, Richard Cayonne (suspended because of yellow cards in a previous match) and Javion Green (injury). Goalkeeper Jason Andrew, rusty after a two-game layoff because of a red-card suspension, allowed all four goals, though he took on a hefty 20 shots.
GPC concludes a four-game road stretch Tuesday at Young Harris College.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
October 13, 2009
Jaguars repeat OT wizardry
Georgia Perimeter College, the nation’s top-ranked men’s soccer team, survived a pre-Halloween scare Tuesday, outlasting Middle Georgia College 3-2 in overtime.
Juan Arbelaez, on assists from Junior Sandoval and Mohammed Issahaku, scored the “golden goal” with 3 1/2 minutes gone in the extra period.
Juan Arbelaez scored the game-winner in overtime.
It was déjà vu for the Jaguars, who defeated Young Harris College a week earlier 2-1 in overtime with a goal by Rury Alvarez at nearly the same time in the extra period.
The Warriors, leaders of Region 17’s south division, figured to pose a challenge on their home field in Cochran. They raised the intensity level to the point that the referee had to issue about 20 cards for infractions, including three reds. One went to GPC’s ace defender, Richard Cayonne, who must sit out one game.
Sandoval scored late in the first half for north division leader GPC (15-0, 8-0) with help from just-named NJCAA Player of the Week Boubacar Toure, and it was tied 1-1 at intermission.
Toure sent the Jaguars ahead 2 1/2 minutes into the second period, with assists from Cayonne and Arbelaez. The Warriors (11-3, 5-1) equalized to force the match into overtime, but Arbelaez finished it quickly with the game-winner.
The Jaguars could only muster three goals on 20 shots, compared to 13 shots for Middle Georgia. GPC’s Brian Garcia saved eight as regular keeper Jason Andrew completed his two-game suspension for a red card violation.
GPC heads to Albany on Saturday for a match with Darton College (9-2-1, 5-2-1). The Jaguars defeated Darton 2-1 in September. Then they remain on the road for an Oct. 20 rematch at Young Harris.
The final regular-season home game is on Oct. 24 versus Andrew College at 2 p.m.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
October 10, 2009
Toure delivers tour de force
Boubacar Toure equaled a school record with four goals, which accounted for all of Georgia Perimeter College’s scoring in a 4-2 men’s soccer defeat over South Georgia College on Saturday.
Boubacar Toure scored four goals in the second half.
Toure, a freshman striker from Gambia, kick-started the languid GPC offense in Douglas with a goal just 25 seconds into the second half, tying the match 1-1.
He struck again 15 minutes later. After the Tigers (6-5-1, 3-5-1) drew even at 2-2, Toure tallied with 17 minutes left, then again with 13 minutes on the clock.
Freshman midfielder Junior Sandoval assisted on Toure’s first three goals, Momodou Sanneh on the finale.
Toure had a two-goal game last month, but his main offensive contributions had been on assists. On one goal Saturday, he faked out the Tigers goalkeeper and had a clear path to the net.
It was a challenging week on the field for GPC (14-0), ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA poll. The Jaguars eked out a 2-1 overtime win at home Tuesday over Young Harris College.
GPC keeper Brian Garcia staved off eight South Georgia shots. He stood in for Jason Andrew, who had to sit out because of a red-card ejection against Young Harris.
The Jaguars remain on the road with a Tuesday encounter against Middle Georgia College in Cochran.
The next home match is with Andrew College on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
October 6, 2009
Alvarez, Sandoval pull one out
With only seven minutes left on the clock, Young Harris College led undefeated, No. 1 Georgia Perimeter College by a goal. The Mountain Lions were sniffing a major upset in the Region 17 showdown.
Rury Alvarez’ winning shot gets past YHC goalkeeper Wezley Barnard.
But freshmen Junior Sandoval and Rury Alvarez weren’t ready to relinquish Georgia Perimeter’s unblemished season. The result: the match ended with the Jaguars on top 2-1 Tuesday at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus.
Sandoval drew a penalty in the box with 6:13 remaining, which also resulted in a red card and ejection for a key Young Harris defender, Felix Reich. Taking a direct kick on the Lions’ goalkeeper, Sandoval hammered it home to tie it up.
At the buzzer GPC defender Richard Cayonne headed off a corner kick to send the game into sudden-death overtime.
In the third minute of the extra period, Alvarez broke away from defenders near midfield, drew the keeper out and blasted a 20-foot game-winner into the goal.
With the slim victory, Georgia Perimeter improves to 13-0, 7-0 in Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association. Young Harris drops to 9-3, 5-2, two games behind the Jaguars in the North Sub-Region.
Although GPC dominated much of the game, Young Harris perhaps gave the Jaguars their stiffest challenge of the season.
“They wanted it—they came out and played hard,” said GPC head coach Marc Zagara. “But unfortunately for them, they didn’t finish on their penalty kicks, and we were lucky.”
In the first half, the Lions missed a direct kick that Jaguar goalkeeper Jason Andrew saved. The teams battled to a scoreless tie at the break.
Eighteen seconds into the second half, Andrew drew a red card for knocking down Young Harris forward Sam Walker in the box. But Walker sailed his direct kick wide right on substitute keeper Brian Garcia.
Playing a man short for most of the half, GPC’s defense held on until 8:49 remained. That’s when Young Harris’ Adrian Klammer scored on an assist from Pedro Almazan.
But the visitors enjoyed a short-lived 1-0 edge, as Sandoval scored little more than two minutes later. Georgia Perimeter finished the game with 9 players, against the Lions’ 10, because Qassimlu Hamad also drew a red card and went to the bench.
GPC sent 19 shots on goal at the Lions, while the visitors launched seven. Andrew made two saves and Garcia had four.
The teams will get a grudge match on Oct. 20, when the Jaguars travel to Young Harris for another sub-region showdown.
Saturday GPC hits the road to Douglas for its second meeting with South Georgia College (6-4-1, 3-4-1). The Jaguars beat South Georgia 5-0 early in September.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
October 1, 2009
GPC downs Georgia Military
Georgia Perimeter College defeated Georgia Military College 10-0 in a region match Thursday at the Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars repeated their pattern of using balanced scoring and strong defense to improve their record to 12-0 overall and 6-0 in Region 17 of the NJCAA.
GPC fired 23 shots on goal, while the defense limited the Bulldogs to four shots, all saved by goalkeeper Jason Andrew. It is Andrew’s fourth shutout of the season.
“We continue to improve as a team,” said assistant coach Ron Moore. “Our defense and goalkeepers continue to play outstanding soccer.”
Assisted by Aziz Izmour, Boubacar Toure drew the first goal three minutes into the game. Three minutes later Juan Arbelaez scored on a pass from Junior Sandoval.
Georgia Perimeter proceeded to an 8-0 halftime lead with goals by Arbelaez, Toure, Sandoval, Alejandro Duque, Izmour, Flavio Souza and Cheikh Mbaye.
Handing out assists were Sandoval, Arbelaez, Souza, Kingsley Morgan, Duque and Nigel Lake, who had two.
In the second half, Javion Green scored with 9:32 remaining on an assist by Qassimlu Hamad. Davion Davis followed with a goal assisted by Duque.
GPC next hosts conference foe Young Harris College (8-2, 4-1) on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 30, 2009
Jaguars No. 1; Duque top player
Nationally, Georgia Perimeter College moved into the top spot this week and had another top player to boot.
Alejandro Duque
The Jaguars’ men’s soccer team vaulted from No. 3 to No. 1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association coaches poll with victories over two top-ten teams over the weekend.
Meanwhile, freshman midfielder Alejandro Duque was selected NJCAA Player of the Week, the second consecutive Georgia Perimeter player named to the honor in September.
Going into two weekend matches in Louisburg, N.C., GPC was ranked third in the national poll. Saturday, the Jaguars defeated then-No. 2 Mercer County Community College 6-1. On Sunday they topped the host, No. 7 Louisburg College, by a 4-1 score.
Duque tallied two goals and two assists against Mercer, including the eventual game-winner in the middle of the first half. He added a goal Sunday against Louisburg.
In a 9-0 victory Thursday over the University of South Carolina-Sumter, Duque scored on a corner kick and had an assist. He totaled 11 points for the week on four goals and 3 assists. Last week Jaguar goalkeeper Brian Garcia was named Player of the Week by the NJCAA. Each week the NJCAA names two players to the honor.
Tyler Junior College (Texas) dropped from first place to second in the national poll, while Mercer County slipped to third. Louisville, which lost to Mercer County Friday, dropped to tenth place. GPC head coach Marc Zagara says it is important to keep the significance of national polls in perspective.
“They don’t give rings out for being ranked No. 1 in September,” Zagara said.
In three of the past five national NJCAA tournaments, Zagara’s teams have played in the championship game, winning the national championship in 2005.
The Jaguars took the runner-up title in 2004 and 2007, finished in fifth place in 2006 and tied for fifth last year. Regularly ranked in the top 10 nationally, the Jaguars have made the elite eight in eight of the past 13 years.
To view the national rankings, visit www.njcaa.org.
September 27, 2009
Tripping another top-10 power
The Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team wrapped up a memorable weekend Sunday with a 4-1 win over host Louisburg (N.C.) College.
Aziz Izmour broke a scoreless tie with a goal late in the first half.
The Jaguars (11-0) likely will be rewarded this week with at least a No. 2 ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll. GPC, which entered the challenging road trip at No. 3, should supplant current No. 2 Mercer County (N.J.) Community College, which fell to the Jaguars 6-1 on Saturday in Louisburg.
Top-rated Tyler (Texas) Community College remained unbeaten, winning its eighth match this weekend.
Depth paid off against the No. 7 Hurricanes (5-2) , who lost to Mercer on Friday and, unlike GPC, had a day of rest. Frequent substitutions were the antidote to fatigue as coach Marc Zagara used at least 20 players Sunday.
The Jaguars peppered the nets with 16 second-half shots, totaling 24 for the match. Brian Garcia withstood 13 Hurricane shots on goal.
GPC crammed a pair of goals into the final two minutes of the first half, both assisted by Junior Sandoval. Aziz Izmour scored the first, Boubacar Toure the second.
Alejandro Duque, who erupted for two goals and two assists against Mercer, continued his streak with a goal Sunday, 16 minutes from the end.
After Louisburg broke the shutout, Flavia Souza completed GPC’s dominant weekend on a goal with three minutes remaining via a pass from Toure.
The Jaguars return to region play Thursday, greeting Georgia Military College at 6 p.m. on the Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 26, 2009
Jaguars storm nation’s No. 2 team
The Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team announced—loud and clear—Saturday that it will again contend for a national title.
Alejandro Duque
The Jaguars, ranked third in the NJCAA rankings, pounded Mercer County (N.J.) Community College 6-1 in Louisburg, N.C. The Vikings are ranked second and finished third in the NJCAA tournament last season.
It took awhile for GPC (10-0) to get rolling. The Jaguars did not score until 28 minutes into the match, but they amassed five goals by halftime.
Alejandro Duque was the offensive standout, notching two goals and two assists. Kingsley Morgan also had a pair of goals.
Richard Cayonne lit the fuse, scoring the first goal on a corner kick from Juan Arbelaez with 17 minutes left until intermission. A minute later, Duque banged in a penalty kick after a defender committed a handball violation on his chip shot in the box.
Morgan struck with nine minutes remaining, Duque assisting, then again three minutes later. Both Duque and Boubacar Toure earned assists.
GPC needed just one more minute to nail its fifth goal, Duque getting it on a pass from Toure.
The Jaguars, anticipating another big match Sunday against No. 7 Louisburg, substituted regularly in the second half. Chiekh Mbaye closed out GPC’s scoring with a goal, helped by Rury Alvarez.
Goalkeeper Jason Andrew lost his shutout bid with six minutes on the clock, but totaled seven saves in a standout performance. The defense allowed just one Mercer attempt on goal in the first half. The Jaguars wound up with 18 shots.
Louisburg is 5-1, having lost to Mercer 1-0 Friday. A Jaguars victory likely would vault them to No. 2 in the rankings.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 24, 2009
Weekend gala: battle of the unbeatens
The stout defense and goalkeeper Brian Garcia registered another shutout as the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team downed the University of South Carolina-Sumter 9-0 Thursday at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus.
Cheikh Mybaye, No. 23, led a balanced attack with two goals.
Garcia, a National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Week, enjoyed airtight support from the defensive line. He faced only four shots on goal by the Fire Ants and saved them all.
Cheikh Mbaye, a freshman defender from Senegal, scored two goals, and the Jaguars shared the other eight.
Georgia Perimeter (9-0) leaves Friday for a long trip to Louisburg, N.C., and a weekend series that will have the attention of the junior college soccer world.
The Jaguars, No. 3 in the national poll, faces undefeated No. 2 Mercer County Community College on Saturday and unbeaten No. 7 Louisburg College on Sunday.
“We’ll find out where we are and where we need to be. No matter what happens it will be a good weekend,” says Jaguar head coach Marc Zagara.
Mercer County (6-0) defeated GPC in the 2004 national championship game. The Vikings have an anchor in All-American midfielder Amit Aburmad, a sophomore from Tel Aviv, Israel. He’s the team’s top scorer with three goals and five assists.
Louisburg (5-0) has been a perennial soccer power in the Southeast, going to the national tournament in five of the past eight seasons under head coach Dave Sexton. Sophomore forward Carl Munday leads the Hurricanes with nine goals and 4 assists.
Jaguar striker Flavio Souza opened Thursday’s scoring early in the first half with a double assist from Rury Alvarez and Qassimlu Hamad. Junior Sandoval followed with a goal assisted by Momodou Sanneh.
Goals by Boubacar Toure, Mbaye and Alejandro Duque (on a corner kick) upped the score to 5-0 at halftime. Recording assists were Juan Arbelaez and Mohammed Issahaku.
The Jaguars continued to share the honors in the second half. Aziz Izmour, Alvarez, Nigel Lake and Mbaye kicked in goals. Dishing out assists were Sanneh, Sandoval, Duque and Christian Ospina.
The shutout is Garcia’s fourth of the season. GPC has outscored its opponents 41-2.
Saturday’s match with Mercer County begins at 2 p.m, and Sunday’s Louisburg game begins at 1 p.m.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 23, 2009
Garcia named NJCAA Player of Week
Brian Garcia
The National Junior College Athletic Association this week named Georgia Perimeter College goalkeeper Brian Garcia Player of the Week for Division 1 men’s soccer.
Garcia, a sophomore transfer from Truett-McConnell College, is ranked No. 8 among NJCAA goalkeepers. Teammate Jason Andrew stands just above him at No. 7.
Garcia, picked up a pair of wins last week in front of the net. On September 15 he earned his third shutout in as many starts, recording two saves on two shots on goal in a 5-0 win over Spartanburg Methodist College.
In a 2-1 win over Darton College, he recorded 13 saves but allowed a penalty kick, the first goal against him this season.
Garcia has a goals-against average of 0.25 with 20 saves on 21 shots on goal. Andrew also sports a 0.25 with 16 saves in 17 SOGs. Andrew also has three shutouts and has permitted only one goal.
Georgia Perimeter moved up in the national coaches poll to No. 3, behind No. 2 Mercer County Community College, which the Jaguars play Saturday in Louisburg, N.C. Sunday they meet the weekend host, seventh-ranked Louisburg College.
September 19, 2009
Jaguars slip past Darton
Playing on turf soaked by a rainy week, the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team slipped and slid its way to a 2-1 conference victory over undefeated Darton College Saturday at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus.
Boubacar Toure returned from an injury to score two goals.
Freshman striker Boubacar Toure returned to the swampy field right on time after being sidelined with a groin injury since the season opener. Toure netted both Jaguar goals in the hard-fought contest.
The victory advanced GPC to 8-0 overall, 5-0 in Region 17 action.
“It’s good to have Boubacare back,” head coach Marc Zagara said. But he said that overall he wasn’t happy with his squad’s performance.
“You have to play according to the conditions,” he said. “We didn’t adapt very well. We didn’t play it smart.”
Zagara said the Jaguars needed to control the ball more with long passes, instead of dribbling and making combinations that are difficult to execute on a slick field.
“Darton figured it out,” he noted. After battling to a first-half scoreless tie, the Cavaliers pressured Georgia Perimeter’s defense in the second half.
However, in the 59th minute, GPC’s Juan Arbelaez ran the ball up the right side almost to the goal and sent it back to Toure, who scored from 20 feet out.
But Darton (3-1-1, 1-1-1) pounded away at the Jaguar defense, which committed a sliding-tackle in the box that brought a penalty kick by Jonathan Osorio. He blasted it past GPC goalkeeper Brian Garcia to tie the game with 18:44 left. It is the first goal scored against Garcia this season.
The game appeared to be heading toward a tie when Toure struck again with 5:08 on the clock. Rury Alvarez assisted with a long pass that Toure took deep to the left of the goal. He scooted the ball through defenders to the front of the goal and slammed in the winning score.
GPC sent 15 shots on goal at Darton keeper Fred Perez, who played a good game. At the other end, Garcia collected 13 saves, some while surfing on mud.
The Jaguars, who moved to No. 3 in the NJCAA poll this week, ride to Young Harris Tuesday for a showdown at 4 p.m. The Mountaineers (6-1, 2-0) are ranked No. 15 nationally.
After hosting the University of South Carolina-Sumter Thursday at 3 p.m., GPC travels to Louisburg, N.C., for weekend matches against No. 2 Mercer County Community College and No. 10 Louisburg College.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 17, 2009
Jaguars improve to 7-0
After sitting out a season, sophomore midfielder Nigel Lake regained his stride with two goals as Georgia Perimeter College downed Georgia Military College 9-0 Thursday.
Nigel Lake had two goals and an assist.
Lake, a member of GPC’s 2007 national runner-up squad, scored one of six Jaguar goals in the first half and added another in the second half.
GPC’s defense registered its sixth shutout of the season. The Jaguars, 7-0 and 4-0 in NJCAA Region 17, have outscored opponents 30-1. They allowed GMC only one shot, which goalkeeper Jason Andrew saved.
Meanwhile, they took 18 shots on goal and scored on half of them. Others who found the net in the first half were Rury Alvarez, Qassimlu Hamad, Mohammed Issahaku, Cheikh Mbaye and recently activated Kehinde Adeshigbin.
Juan Arbelaez and Alejandro Duque added goals in the second half as the Jaguars evenly distributed point-making duties.
They also shared in assists, except for Francisco Barbella’s three hand-offs. Even keeper Andrew registered an assist with a long punt to Arbelaez early in the second half.
Mbaye, Issahaku, Adeshigbin, Lake and Flavio Souza also contributed assists.
Saturday is a showdown of region unbeatens as GPC hosts Darton College (3-0-1, 1-0-1) at 2 p.m. If the recent siege of rain continues, the game will not be postponed until kick-off time.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 15, 2009
Defense and Souza produce some magic
With the defense posting its fifth shutout, the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team appears to be up to its old tricks. But sophomore striker Flavio Souza added a new trick Tuesday—a hat trick.
Flavio Souza scored three goals.
Souza scored three goals while the defense turned in an outstanding performance in a 5-0 victory over Spartanburg Methodist College at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus.
Six games into the season, Georgia Perimeter, long known for miserly defense, has outscored its opponents 16-1.
“The defense looked very good,” said assistant coach Ron Moore. “Defense is playing well; our goalkeepers are playing well, and the offense is coming around.”
Outside of Souza’s skillful fete, the scoring duplicated GPC’s previous game, when the Jaguars shut down South Georgia College by the identical 5-0 score, getting one goal in the first half and four in the second.
Against Spartanburg, Souza kicked his first goal five minutes into the game, but the Pioneers contained the score to 1-0 at halftime.
Georgia Perimeter repeated with four goals in the second half. Souza scored on an assist from Kingsley Morgan fourteen minutes into the period. Two minutes later he completed his hat trick with an assist from Rury Alvarez.
Mohammed Issahaku struck the net in the 82nd minute after a pass from Alejandro Duque. Then, a corner kick led to a scramble and a goal by Emerson Canales with two seconds remaining on the scoreboard.
GPC (6-0) launched 20 shots on goal, while the defensive fortress of Kingsley, Richard Cayonne, Thierry Betole and Javion Green permitted Spartanburg (2-3) only one shot. Earning his third shutout in as many starts, goalie Brian Garcia had two saves.
On the national front, GPC moved this week from fifth to fourth place in the National Junior College Athletic Association coaches poll.
The Jaguars next face three NJCAA Region 17 foes. Thursday they travel to Georgia Military College, followed by a home match against Darton College at 2 p.m.
Next Tuesday’s trip to Young Harris College begins a run against three nationally rated teams in four games. Young Harris (6-1) received votes in the NJCAA top twenty. On the weekend of Sept. 26, the Jaguars visit Louisburg, N.C., to play No. 2 Mercer County Community College and No. 11 Louisburg College.
“We’re going to get challenged,” Moore said.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 12, 2009
Jaguars blank South Georgia
Marc Zagara has been looking for improvement in the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team, and he says he saw it Saturday. Even the visiting coach agreed.
Cheikh Mbaye, left, and the defense have allowed one goal in five games.
GPC shut out South Georgia College 5-0 in a conference game at the Dunwoody Campus. The Jaguars did it with solid defense, outstanding ball control and an explosive second half.
“This was a little better,” Zagara said after his team improved to 5-0, 3-0 in the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA Region 17).
“It was encouraging to score more than a couple goals,” he added. “We did some things in the middle that were better.”
South Georgia coach Ken Kirsch complimented the Jaguars’ teamwork. “They moved off the ball very well. What they did is the style we try to teach.”
With an array of offensive combinations, GPC chalked up 19 shots on goal. The visitors managed only three, all saved by Jaguar keeper Jason Andrew as he earned his second shutout of the season.
Although the Tigers had three key players out with red cards and injury, they may not have penetrated Georgia Perimeter’s stingy midfield and defense.
However, South Georgia’s defense held up in the first half, keeping GPC out of the net until 4:58 on the clock. Rury Alvarez slipped a nifty pass to Junior Sandoval, who drilled it to break the ice for a 1-0 halftime lead.
Seven minutes into the second period, Alvarez tallied a second assist on a long dead ball kick from the left side, which Kingsley Morgan headed into the goal. That opened the floodgates as Flavio Souza scored two minutes later on a close in penalty kick.
As GPC’s depth began to wear down the Tigers, Cheikh Mbaye scored with 23:09 remaining on an assist by Alejandro Duque. Christian Ospina nailed a penalty kick at 10:36 to finish the scoring.
Tuesday, the Jaguars host Spartanburg Methodist College at 4 p.m.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
September 8, 2009
Jaguars repeat against Gordon
Georgia Perimeter College let Gordon College hang around Tuesday deep into their men’s soccer match before putting away the home team 2-0 for a conference victory.
In a dominant performance that was not reflected by the score, the Jaguars blasted 12 shots, 10 more than Gordon. But none found the net until 10 minutes remained, when sophomore forward Flavio Souza tallied, via an assist from Boubacar Toure.
In the game’s final minute, Juan Arbalaez finally allowed GPC to breathe easy, scoring on a pass from Cheikh Mbaye.
Brian Garcia was lightly tested in goal, making two saves for Georgia Perimeter.
“We have a long way to go,” coach Marc Zagara said. “There are a number of areas that need significant improvement, especially if we plan to play late in November.”
The victory in Barnesville was a repeat of GPC’s season opener, a 3-0 triumph on August 28 in which the Highlanders kept the game in suspense deep into the second half.
The Jaguars are 4-0 overall, 2-0 in the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association (Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association). Gordon dipped to 0-5-1, 0-4.
The Jaguars are back home Saturday—after three road dates—with a confrontation against South Georgia College at 2 p.m. on the Dunwoody Campus. The undefeated Tigers (4-0, 3-0 Region 17) also played Gordon and won 1-0.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
August 30, 2009
Sandoval’s strikes singe Middle Georgia
Sunday’s match between Georgia Perimeter College and Region 17 foe Middle Georgia College was delayed about 1 1/2 hours because of lightning in the area.
Junior Sandoval
When the weather cleared, freshman midfielder Junior Sandoval had a pair of lightning-quick goals as the Jaguars managed a 2-1 victory at Young Harris College’s field. The victory improved Georgia Perimeter to 3-0.
Playing its third match in as many days, GPC sent out a fresh lineup but settled on a scoreless tie at the half.
Five minutes into the second period, Sandoval tallied on an assist from Momodou Sanneh. Four minutes later, he struck again, assisted by Juan Arbelaez.
Middle Georgia (1-1, 0-1) answered with a goal off of a corner kick, the first point allowed by the Jaguars this season.
The Warriors applied pressure on GPC’s back line throughout the final 10 minutes but could not equalize. They wound up with nine shots, half of GPC’s amount.
Goalkeeper Jason Andrew turned aside seven attempts. “He did a nice job,” head coach Marc Zagara said.
“We need to improve,” Zagara said. “We have a long way to go.”
The Jaguars, ranked No. 5 in the National Junior College Athletic Association coaches’ poll, have a week to prepare for their next outing Sept. 8 at Gordon College.
The next home game will be Saturday, Sept. 12 against South Georgia College at 2 p.m.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
August 29, 2009
GPC surges in second half
The Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team put on a dominant performance Saturday in its road debut, even if the score did not reflect the game’s one-sided nature for awhile.
GPC and Tri-County Tech were scoreless nearing halftime before Saudin Garanovic broke the stalemate with a goal in the final minute.That opened the floodgates as second-period scores by Rury Alvarez, Junior Sandoval and Kingsley Morgan made it an ultimately comfortable 4-0 win. Momodou Sanneh and Davian Davis each had an assist.
GPC (2-0) outshot Tri-County 35-3 in the match played on neutral turf at Young Harris College.
“We had trouble getting our shots on target,” said head coach Marc Zagara, who also found fault with the back line. “But it was a win.”
Goalkeeper Brian Garcia was lightly tested, totaling two saves. With his shutout the Jaguars remain unscored upon two games into the season.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
August 28, 2009
GPC opens with ‘sloppy’ shutout
Heavy rains Friday promised a sloppy season opener for the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team. It wasn’t—and it was.
Juan Arbelaez led the Jaguars with two goals.
By game time the field at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus had drained sufficiently to prevent a slip-sliding contest. And the Jaguars displayed some exceptional talent in shutting out Gordon College 3-0 in what was also their NJCAA Region 17 opening match.
But head coach Marc Zagara called his team’s performance “sloppy,” despite its dominance.
“Our shooting was sloppy,” Zagara said. GPC fired 27 shots on goal, but Zaraga claimed only five or six were on target. Most soared wide or high above the bar.
“This isn’t the level we want to play,” he said.
However, the Jaguars (1-0, 1-0 Region 17) controlled the game with long, precise passes, dazzling ball control and some methodical combinations.
Eleven minutes into the first half, freshman midfielder Juan Arbelaez took an assist from Momodou Sanneh to score GPC’s first goal of the new season.
Thanks to a solid defense, Gordon (0-1, 0-1) held the score to 1-0 at halftime. And through most of the second period the Highlanders made it anybody’s game.
With 3:41 left in the match, GPC’s Kingsley Morgan scored during a scramble in front of the net after a corner kick by Alejandro Duque, who was credited with the assist.
Less than two minutes later Qassimlu Hamad made a long downfield cross to Arbelaez, who boomed it in to close out the scoring.
Although stalwart defender Richard Cayonne sat out with an injury, Georgia Perimeter’s defense allowed Gordon only three shots on goal. Goalkeeper Jason Andrews saved all three in producing the shutout.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
August 27, 2009
Jaguars eye sixth straight title
What does the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team have in common with sandwiches and hardback cover novels?
Richard Cayonne
The best of each can be found in the middle.
Like sandwich filling and the pages of a book, the Jaguars’ finest feature is in the center. GPC, ranked No. 5 in the National Junior College Athletic Association preseason poll, has so many gifted midfielders that coach Marc Zagara is giving some of them looks at other positions.
“Our midfield is maybe the strongest we’ve had since our national championship in 2005,” says Zagara, who was named last month to the National Junior College Athletics Association Soccer Hall of Fame. “We have size, speed, strength, skills and depth.”
The coach may substitute in lines, hockey-style, to keep the midfield fresh. Depth is a hallmark of Jaguars soccer, enabling them to reach the NJCAA playoffs in five consecutive seasons.
“We’ll have a half-dozen kids sitting on the bench that would start for 99 percent of the junior college teams,” he says. “My goal is never to have the best 11 players, but to have the best 18 and wear people down.”
The mighty midfield may help rectify a shortcoming of last season’s team: ball possession. The Jaguars (17-3-3) did well to finish tied for fifth in the NJCAA with a roster that did not wield as much offensive punch as previous editions.
Flavio Souza
The 2008 defense “was one of the best I’ve ever had,” Zagara says. “They had to be.”
The nationals effort was a microcosm of the season. GPC scored three goals in three matches but allowed only one, a penalty kick.
“We are much more talented this year,” Zagara says. “That doesn’t always mean anything.”
A freshmen stalwart on the 2008 backline, Fode Diallo, one of two All-Americans on that team, is academically ineligible. Unfortunately, 2007 All-American defender Lance DaCosta also is unable to return after missing last season.
GPC must fill voids left by two other regulars who were expected back, plus four graduates who advanced to four-year colleges. The tentative 25-man roster early this week listed only six sophomores.
“I’m not overly concerned about that,” says Zagara, noting that several players are in their 20s. They include sophomore midfielder Nigel Lake (Miami, Killian H.S.), who sat out last year, and freshman striker Boubacar Toure (Gambia, Brikama H.S.), who sacrificed college after high school in order to stay home and help with his family.
Junior Sandoval
Illustrating GPC’s depth, Lake was a starter in 2007 but likely will substitute this season. “And he’s improved,” Zagara says.
Sophomore defender Richard Cayonne (Trinidad, Pentacostal H.S.) earned the captaincy. Says the coach, “Great heart, great athlete.”
Zagara compares freshman midfielder Junior Sandoval (Centennial H.S.) to a former GPC great, All-American Luis Campo, who led the 2005 national championship team.
“Junior can go hard for 90 minutes,” the coach says.
The biggest threat up front figures to be sophomore striker Flavio Souza (Coral Springs, Taravella H.S.). “A very skillful player,” Zagara says.
Many starting roles remained up for grabs a week before the season opener, including goalkeeper. Sophomore Julian Garcia (Flowery Branch, Flowery Branch H.S.), whose eligibility was in question, is being challenged by newcomers Jason Andrew (Dominican Republic, Dominica H.S.) and Bryan Garcia (Dacula).
The Jaguars’ schedule launches Friday with a 5 p.m. game against Gordon College on the Dunwoody Campus. Saturday and Sunday the squad hits the road to visit Tri-County Technical College and Middle Georgia College.
The schedule features late September games on back-to-back days against No. 3 Mercer County Community College and No. 11 Louisburg College, both in Louisburg, N.C.
No. 15 Young Harris College (Sept. 22 on the road, Oct. 6 at home) poses the stiffest test in the improved Georgia Junior College Athletic Association. South Georgia, Darton and Middle Georgia also loom as threats to GPC in its march to a sixth straight conference title.
“This might be one of the better conferences in the country,” Zagara says.
Still, GPC is not expected to wind up sandwiched in the middle of the standings.
The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338.
August 14, 2009
Four Jaguars sign with four-year schools
Four sophomores from the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team recently signed to play at four-year institutions. Striker Mike Mecerod signed with Jacksonville University. Last season, he was named honorable mention All-America and was one of three players placed on the All-Region first team.
Defender Marco Casanova and striker Bediako Swan were named honorable mention All-Region and signed with University of Central Florida and Davis and Elkins College, respectively.
Forward Emmanuel Barriyiga signed with Southern Polytechnic State University.
July 9, 2009
Coach Zagara selected for Hall of Fame
Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer coach Marc Zagara has been elected to the National Junior College Athletic Association Soccer Hall of Fame. The NJCAA announced the selection Wednesday.
Marc Zagara
Zagara has built a regional and national dynasty in 18 seasons as head coach at Georgia Perimeter. He has a stellar 277-72-13 record at GPC. His overall record, including seven years at Finger Lakes Community College is 352-147-19.
In three of the past five national NJCAA tournaments, Zagara’s Jaguars have played in the championship game, winning the national championship in 2005 with a 20-2-1 record.
They took the runner-up title in 2004 and 2007, finished in fifth place in 2006 and tied for fifth last year. Regularly ranked in the top 10 nationally, the Jaguars have made the elite eight in eight of the past 13 years.
Zagara’s teams have produced 29 All-Americans, and 12 players have gone on to play professional soccer.
Joining Zagara in the Hall of Fame induction will be Steve Clements of Tyler Junior Col