WALTHAM, Mass. (August 27, 2026) - Georgian Court Men's Soccer kicked off the 2026 season with a formidable opponent in nationally ranked Bentley. The two teams scored goals just 67 seconds apart, but couldn't find the back of the net at any other point as GCU drew even with the #19 Falcons, 1-1.
How it Happened
• Bentley was in control of the ball for much of the afternoon with possession numbers strongly favoring the Falcons.
• Shot numbers were much more even as Bentley outshot GCU 14-13 and 7-3 in shots on target.
• The Falcons were in the offensive zone on a number of occasions and earned nine corner kicks to the Lions two.
• Cards and fouls were kept to a minimum. The Lions were issued three yellows while the Falcons were booked for two.
First Half
• It was a big feeling out process at the outset of the game. Georgian Court didn't get their first shot until the 11th minute when
Gijs van Eif got off a pair in succession, one saved and the other missing high.
• Those were the only shots in the first 20 minutes for Georgian Court while Bentley ripped off five shots, but just one on goal.
• Goalkeepers weren't overly busy in the opening half. For the first 30 minutes there was a combined two shots on goal with each keeper making one stop.
• The Lions had a chance late in the half, in the 41st minute when van Gijs and
Nicholas Damiano each took a chance, but their shot attempts were blocked and went over the crossbar.
• The whistle closed on the opening half without a goal being scored. Bentley was up 9-7 in shots, but shots on goal were even, 2-2.
Second Half
• The action came quick in the second half. Bentley earned an early corner kick opportunity and cashed in with a header coming from Filippo Perini for a 1-0 lead.
• The lead lasted just 67 seconds though. The Falcons took another quick shot on net that was saved by
Simon Mortensen and the Lions broke out on the counter attack.
• Damiano pushed the ball ahead to van Eif who delivered a pass into the box where
Noah-Maxim Kleiser was there to one-time the ball towards the back post, past the keeper and into the net.
• After all that quick action to start the half, it faded once again into a more conservative play.
• The second half featured just 11 total shots after 16 in the first half and six of those 11 came in the closing minutes.
• Georgian Court had just two corner kicks all day. They had a chance on their second as
Yanis Achouri's attempt from just outside the box was blocked in the 66th minute.
• The pace picked up with less than 10 minutes on the clock.
Simon Mortensen did all he could making three good saves in the final seven minutes.
•
Leo Elder and
Sander Rynning had back-to-back chances in the 87th minute, but their shot attempts were blocked and missed wide.
• The Falcons had one final corner kick attempt in the 89th minute, but Mortensen was again there to keep the game tied.
• GCU had the last look in the closing seconds, but van Eif's attempt was off target and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Lion Stat Leaders
•
Noah-Maxim Kleiser scored the only goal for Georgian Court, coming off the bench.
•
Gijs van Eif took six shots and picked up an assist.
•
Simon Mortensen made six saves in goal.
•
Sander Rynning was the only other Lion with multiple shots, taking two and putting one on net.
For the Falcons
• Filippo Perini scored a header from a corner kick for Bentley.
• The goal came from Logan Veloria's pass as he earned the assist.
• Those two each took a team-high three shots.
• Alessandro Bizzini made just one save.
News and Notes
• Georgian Court snapped a four game losing streak on opening day with their draw. The 2021 season saw GCU draw 2-2 with Molloy.
•
Noah-Maxim Kleiser becomes the first Lion true freshman to score on opening day since 2022 when both
David Tuschmann and Brandon Sogness scored in their first collegiate game.
• Like Kleiser, both Tuschmann and Sogness came off the bench to score as well.
•
Simon Mortensen's six saves are a new career high.
• With his assist,
Gijs van Eif reaches 60 career points. He's just the third Lion to ever score 60 points in a career joining Michael Clarke and Louis Silva.
•
Anthony Ryan surpassed 1,000 career minutes played and
Joseph Juarez reached 2,000 minutes.
Up Next
• The Lions have a day off before getting right back on the field in Waltham Saturday, August 29. They play a neutral site game against Saint Michael's kicking off at 12 pm.
