GCU Athletics

LAKEWOOD, NJ (Nov. 11, 2026) - As the calendar flips to November, the motto is survive and advance. Georgian Court Women's Soccer took care of that on their first step in the CACC Postseason Tournament. The Lions earned the No. 3 seed and with that hosted No. 6 Dominican Sunday afternoon. GCU put in a goal in each half and the Lions defense did the rest in a 2-0 win to move on to the semifinal round.

How it Happened
• Georgian Court dominated possession at a 60% clip for the game.
• The Lions threw everything plus the kitchen sink on net with 28 total shots. Dominican could muster only nine.
• GCU also had a big edge in shots on frame, 10-3, and corner kicks, 7-2.

1st Half
• The final numbers make it look lopsided at the end, but that wasn't the case at the beginning.
• Dominican was in charge early as the Lions were a little slow to get their footing.
• The first good scoring chance came courtesy of the Chargers. Amelia Hammond was open in front of the net for a one-timer, but just missed wide.
• The Lions caught a break in the 20th minute. Georgian Court were called for a foul, but it was just outside the box to avoid a penalty kick. The Chargers shot from 19 yards out was right at Delanie Wilkinson's chest for an easy save.
• Georgian Court was into their bench late in the half and found a spark. Gabriela Sabillon was creating pressure and chances from the moment she came in. 
• It was late into the half and still a scoreless game. In the 38th minute, Sabillon up the right side passed middle to a wide open Rori McDonough who didn't miss and put the Lions up 1-0.
• Less than a minute later, Chelsea Lavezzo nearly made it 2-0, but her shot caromed off the near post and stayed out.
• Georgian Court had a couple of late shots that sailed high and the Lions led 1-0 after 45 minutes.

2nd Half
• The Lions kept the pressure up, looking to extend their lead early in half number two.
• Lavezzo had another chance just eight minutes into the second. A Charger foul inside the box put Lavezzo on the dot for a penalty kick. Her drive just cleared the top of the crossbar as Dominican breathed a sigh of relief.
• The relief didn't last long though. Still in the offensive zone after a turnover, Kayla Reed dished it to Lavezzo inside the box. This time instead of shooting, she shuffled it to Hailey Funkhouser who kept it low and past the keeper, giving the Lions the 2-0 lead they'd been searching for.
• In the 67th minute, Erynn Richey nearly put the game away. Dominican keeper Hannah Grenier had just enough vertical leap on Richey's free kick towards the goal. She got a finger tip on it and the ball kissed off the crossbar and back into the field of play.
• The Lions defense was in control the rest of the final 20 minutes. Dominican didn't get a shot on goal until the closing seconds. A clean save for Wilkinson who corralled the ball on a shutout win.

Lion Stat Leaders
• Rori McDonough had a goal on three shots.
• Hailey Funkhouser scored on her only shot on goal.
• Delanie Wilkinson made three saves for the shutout win.
• Gabriela Sabillon picked up an assist off the bench, playing 58 minutes.
• Chelsea Lavezzo and Kayla Reed each assisted on Funkhouser's goal.

For the Chargers
• Hannah Grenier did all she could in net making eight saves.
• Nat Oliveira took a team-high three shots and two on goal.
• Emily Minerva had the Chargers only other shot on goal.

News and Notes