LAKEWOOD, NJ (Nov. 6, 2025) - Georgian Court Men's Soccer completed the regular season Thursday afternoon. The Lions had already qualified for the CACC Tournament, but playoff seeding was on the line. Playing against Holy Family who GCU was tied with in the standings, the Tigers scored a second half goal and made it hold up in a 1-0 win. Georgian Court finishes the regular season 4-6 in the CACC and are the No. 8 seed.

How it Happened
• Possession numbers slightly favored Holy Family with a 53-47% edge.
• The Tigers also took more shots, 12-8 and one more on target, 4-3.
• Fouls were even with each team called for 11 and one yellow card issued to both sides.

1st Half
• Georgian Court was the more aggressive team at the start and played more in the offensive zone.
• GCU was trying to build chances, sending the ball ahead to Jack Pollintine-Smith, but the Tigers defense stymied their attempts.
• In the first 29 minutes the Lions only shot came from Mikey Mallon at the 5:02 mark and was blocked.
• Lion goalkeeper Ayendi Batista wasn't tested much in the first half, but did come up with one save.
• Late in the half, Jelte van Hesteren had the best chance for GCU but Holy Family keeper Bruno Mestres dived and punched it out.

2nd Half
• Towards the end of the first half and into the start of the second, the field was tilted towards Tigers. They were team on the attack more than GCU.
• Midway through, Holy Family had a couple of dangerous chances that were blocked, but momentum was building.
• Some miscommunication as GCU tried to clear led to a turnover in the defensive zone. The Tigers flipped the field where Hugo Gutierrez served into the box. Dimitri Lekishvili flicked the pass back to Jackson Kiss whose diving header went into the net for a 1-0 lead with roughly 17 minutes left to play.
• The Tigers had a chance to make it a 2-0 game a few minutes later but Batista came up big. Making up for his own foul in the box, Batista's diving save on a low penalty kick kept the Lions alive and down just one. 
• Georgian Court spent much of the rest of the game in the offensive zone, but couldn't hit the equalizer. David Tuschmann had a shot blocked and Christian Chancellor nearly put it over the keepers head, but Mestres stretched out just far enough to catch it.
• With two minutes to play, the Lions had three straight corner kick opportunities. GCU got their heads on a couple to direct towards the net, but nothing found its way on frame and the Tigers were able to run out the clock on a 1-0 win.

Lion Stat Leaders
• Mikey Mallon had a team-best three shots.
• Ayendi Batista made three saves.
• Jelte van Hesteren had two shots on goal.

For the Tigers
• Bruno Mestres got the shutout win making three saves.
• Jackson Kiss came off the bench to score the game's only goal.
• Dimitri Lekishvili and Hugo Gutierrez each picked up an assist.

News and Notes
• As mentioned, the Lions were already in the CACC postseason before the game kicked off.
• This was the final regular season game in the conference, so GCU now knows they are the No. 8 seed in the CACC Tournament.
• All-time the series is now tied 7-7-1.
• This is the second straight 1-0 game in the series and the fifth time in the last six meetings it's been a one-goal game.
• Ayendi Batista moves into the GCU all-time top-five in saves.
• This is the Lions second straight 1-0 loss after not having any all season. It's the first time in program history GCU has suffered consecutive 1-0 losses. 

Up Next
• Georgian Court will play their CACC Touranment Quarterfinal round game Sunday, November 9. They'll be back in a familiar spot, just where they were this past weekend. They play at No. 1 seed Post in Waterbury, CT, eight days after their regular season meeting, with a 1 pm kickoff.