BARNESVILLE, Ga. -- The Gordon State College women's soccer team opened its 2021 spring campaign with an emphatic victory over Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) rival Andrew College here Friday night as the Highlanders cruised 14-0.
The game began as a cagey affair as both teams sought to find their legs early in the season. As the first half progressed, the Highlanders began to assert their dominance resulting in six goals scored by six different freshmen.
After the intermission, GSC maintained their control of the game by pouring in eight more goals and the end result was a 30-shot attack that resulted in 14 goals on 11 assists for the Highlanders.
Freshman Sophia Kotopka (Riverview, Fla. / East Bay HS) led GSC with three goals, her first hat trick in a Highlander uniform. Fellow freshmen Bailey Arnold (Bethlehem, Ga. / Apalachee HS) and Madison Schmucker (Cape Coral, Fla. / Ida S. Baker HS) along with sophomore Keerston Hambrick (Douglasville, Ga. / Alexander HS) each started their season with two goals.
A quintet of freshmen -- Aniah Rasool (Ruskin, Fla. / Lennard HS), Audrey Pavik (Kennesaw, Ga. / Harrison HS), Emma Lovell (Tavenier, Fla. / Coral Shores HS), Lourdes Tompkins (Stephens, Ga. / Oglethorpe Co. HS) and Payton Asher (Cape Coral, Fla. / Ida S. Baker HS) each scored for GSC to bring the tally of goal scorers to nine. Seven of those nine Highlanders also played the role of provider as they assisted their teammates on goals.
Mallory McCarthney (Griffin, Ga. / Spalding HS) maintained the shutout in goal for GSC.
With the victory, GSC opens the regular season with an overall mark of 1-0 and also 1-0 in GCAA play, which the Highlanders will look to build upon when they host another GCAA foe in Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) on Wednesday, April 7 at 6 p.m. ET. Admission is free and face masks are recommended.
-GSC-
The Gordon State College Department of Athletics is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA). Gordon State College competes in NJCAA Division I in the sports of Women's Soccer (Fall), Men's Basketball (Fall/Spring), Softball (Spring) and Baseball (Spring). Gordon State College is located in Barnesville, Ga., approximately 60 miles south of Atlanta and 35 miles northwest of Macon. Gordon State College offers both two-year and four-year degree programs and believes that our Athletics program provides student-athletes with the opportunity to be successful academically, athletically and in life after their time as a Highlander. Follow GSC Athletics at www.gscathletics.com, on Facebook (@Gordon State Highlanders) and Twitter (@state_ad / GordonStateAD). You can also follow Gordon State College on Facebook (@GordonStateCollege #GSCHighlandersForward), Twitter (@GordonState) and Instagram (gordon_state).