LAKEWOOD, NJ (Oct. 1, 2024) - Georgian Court Men's Soccer, fresh off a 4-1 road trip, finally returns to Lakewood, just in time for Homecoming and Senior Day.
Opponent
Bridgeport Purple Knights (4-3-2, 3-1 CACC)
Where
Lakewood, NJ - GCU Track and Field Complex (Turf Field)
When
Saturday, Oct. 5 - 4 pm
How to Watch
• Saturday's match is available to watch a free-to-view video on the Georgian Court portal of CACC Digital Network, powered by HUDL. Links for videos and live stats can be found above and on the Lions Soccer schedule page.
Homecoming
• Saturday is Georgian Court's Homecoming. Volleyball kicks off the day with their 10 am first serve against Dominican.
• Following the game, the Lions will host Bridgeport in men's and women's soccer beginning at 1 pm.
• GCU Alumni is also holding their alumni brunch in the morning with a beer and wine garden in the afternoon.
Previously vs. Bridgeport
• Bridgeport joined the CACC in the 2022 and the Lions are 2-1 against the Purple Knights as league members.
• At home in 2022, the Lions won a 2-1 game getting a late goal from Jay Abraham to break a 1-1 tie.
• Last year during the regular season in Bridgeport also finished 2-1. GCU got two goals in the final 10 minutes, the final coming in the closing seconds from
Maurice Engl to come away with a win.
• Bridgeport got the win back in the CACC Tournament though. They scored the first four goals on their way to a 4-1 win to advance to the CACC Championship final.
• Again it was Engl scoring in the final minute for the lone Lions goal.
Last Time Out
• Georgian Court finished off a 4-1 road trip defeating PSAC for, East Stroudsburg.
• The Lions got a goal in each half for a 2-0 shutout win.
• It was
Ayendi Batista's second shutout win of the season.
•
Jack Pollintine-Smith and
David Tuschmann were the Lion goal scorers.
Individual Milestones
•
Alessandro Cavallini is 61 minutes short of 1500.
• Another goal will get Gijs van Eif into the top-10 for a single season. He's also five points away from entering the Lions all-time top-five for points.
•
Sotirios Gkosdis is six saves away from moving up to fourth all-time at Georgian Court and nine away from third.
CACC Leaders (Based on NCAA Statistics)
• Gijs van Eif is third in the CACC in both goals and points.
• At 1.0,
Ayendi Batista is third in the CACC in goals against average.
•
Mikey Mallon is fourth in the league with 0.50 assists per game.
• GCU is committing the second fewest fouls per game at 10.89.
• The Lions 4.78 corner kicks per game are the third most in the conference.
Who's Hot?
• One of the hottest goaltender in the league is
Ayendi Batista who has four straight wins allowing just two goals in that span with two shutouts.
• He of course is helped out by a defense that's playing extremely with reigning CACC Defensive Player of the Week,
Vitor Antelo.
•
Svante Haakansson scored twice at Dominican and was named the CACC Rookie of the Week.
• Gijs van Eif has goals in four of his last six games played.
•
Mikey Mallon has an assist in three of his last four games.
•
David Tuschmann has a goal in two of his last three games.
•
Jack Pollintine-Smith has points in two straight.
Road Warriors
• Georgian Court finished up a 4-1 road trip with four straight wins.
• That's the longest road winning streak since winning five in a row in 2021.
• The Lions have never won six straight road games.
About Bridgeport
• Bridgeport defeated Georgian Court to get to the CACC Tournament finals last year where they were beaten by Post, 3-1.
• This year they're off to a strong start at 4-3-2, with two of their three losses to top-25 opponents.
• The Purple Knights are one of the highest scoring offenses in the league with 15 goals sitting fourth.
• They also lead the league in total assists.
• UB is led offensively by Enzo Beatrix and Lapo Romieri, who each have five goals and two assists.
• Joao Miranda is fourth in Division II with six assists.
• Gianny Provincial has started six games in goal including the last three. He has a .750 save percentage and 1.04 goals against average.
SENIOR DAY
• Prior to the match, Georgian Court will recognize their senior class of 2024. The Lions have 13 members of the team graduating after this season. Be sure to keep an eye on these seniors as they finish up their career at Georgian Court with six home games in October.
Vitor Antelo
6-2 | Center Back | Graduate
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A graduate transfer, Antelo is in his first season at Georgian Court. He's provided great stability on the back line for the Lions who have allowed just 14 goals in nine games. The defense has really come on of late, led by Antelo, the CACC Defensive Player of the Week, with three shut wins in their last four games.
James Besser
5-11 | Forward | Senior
Manalapan, NJ
James Besser came to Georgian Court at the start of the 2020 season from Manalapan, NJ and Manalapan High School. He's played in six games including each of the Lions first two this season. In the Lions season opener, Besser scored his first points picking up an assist.
Woodley Cagilus
6-1 | Midfield | Senior
Asbury Park, NJ
Woodley Cagilus is a four-year Lion who continually worked his way to the varsity roster. After playing just one game in his first two years, Cagilus has appeared in 17 the last two with three starts during that time. A gifted athlete, Cagilus has been a valuable asset to the Lions midfield rotation the last two seasons and is often tasked with guarding an opponent's top midfielder.
Sebastian Derflinger
6-3 | Defense | Senior
Salzburg, Austria
A starter from day one, Deflinger is one of the Lions more experience defenders. In three seasons, hes played in 40 games making 39 starts and averaging nearly 85 minutes played per game. A very stable defender, Derflinger leads the Lions last line of defense which has stepped up lately allowing just two goals in their last four games. Derflinger is also a powerful striker as seen when taking free kicks. He has a goal and an assist to his credit during his career.
Zack Dittus
6-1 | Midfield | Senior
Mays Landing, NJ
Zack Dittus has been an excellent teammate for four years in the royal blue and gold. His minutes may be low, but the respect he's earned as a veteran is high. Dittus is also a threat on throw in's and can change a game in an instant when called upon.
Maurice Engl
6-1 | Midfield | Senior
Leipzig, Germany
A stabilizing presence in the midfield, Engl is as steady as they come. He's played 47 games in four years and made 33 starts scoring two goals while adding an assist. Engl can always be counted upon to be in the right position and make the right play.
Joseph Ficarotta
5-9 | Midfield | Senior
Yardley, PA
Joseph Ficarotta has earned his way into more playing time throughout his career. In four years with the Lions, Ficarotta has played in 49 games, making 29 starts. As a sophomore and junior, Ficarotta scored a pair of goals each season while also adding three assists as a sophomore.
Sotirios Gkosdis
6-1 | Goalkeeper | Graduate
Megara, Greece
Gkosdis had one of the finest goalkeeping seasons in Lions history in 2022 playing in 15 games and making 88 saves with a .788 save percentage and 1.33 goals against average. He's added three more games played this season after missing all of 2023 and is in the Lions all-time top-six in wins.
Tim Graczyk
5-11 | Midfield | Senior
Mays Landing, NJ
Tim Graczyk has been wearing the royal blue and gold for four seasons and has been a well-respected and liked teammate. A quality reserve, Graczyk has worked his way up over his career to the varsity squad and earned playing time in 2023.
Noah Hamouda
5-11 | Forward | Senior
Forked River, NJ
Noah Hamouda saw plenty of action early in his Lions career. He played in 17 games as a freshman and 13 more as a sophomore before injuries cut short his junior and senior seasons. He's appeared in 33 career games in four years with five goals scored, four as a freshman in just 346 minutes played.
Ryan Lee
5-8 | Defense | Senior
Marlboro, NJ
No current Lion has appeared in more games than
Ryan Lee's 58 over the last four seasons. He's been a steadying presence on the Lions back line for years, doing all the little things needed to win games. He's also chipped in three assists throughout his career which spans more than 3500 minutes played.
Jason Spencer
5-7 | Forward | Senior
Levittown, PA
From Pennsylvania,
Jason Spencer has continually earned more playing time throughout his career. A four-year Lion, Spencer first saw action in 2022 playing in two games. He played in three more in 2023 and has already played in three games in 2024 with a career-high in total minutes.
Robbie Tapp
5-10 | Defense | Senior
Beachwood, NJ
Robbie Tapp is another four-year Lion that earned his spot in the GCU defensive rotation. A rare freshman that saw action in 2021, Tapp has increased his minutes played every year as a Lion and has started every game as a senior along the Lions back row.
