DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The 13th-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles took advantage of the second life granted them by being the final team to earn an at-large berth to the 2013 NAIA National Tournament, downing ninth-ranked Georgia Gwinnett 1-0 at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium on Saturday night. The shutout capped a perfect 5-0 weekend for Embry-Riddle athletics as the volleyball, women's soccer and men's soccer squads each earned berths to the final site of their respective national tournaments and the men's basketball team won the Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia Shootout with a pair of dominating wins.
The Eagles (14-3) advance to take on the No. 5 national seed Rio Grande Red Storm in Montgomery, Ala. on either Dec. 2 or 3. The Grizzlies (15-5) wrap up their second-ever season as a member of the NAIA, earning the first berth into a national tournament in school history.
The lone score came in the 61st minute after a penalty kick was granted to the Eagles after GGC's German Rodriguez took down
Nicklas Petersson in the penalty area.
Junior
Veit Couturier, who converted on a PK in the Eagles' first game of the season against the Grizzlies, calmly stepped to the spot and went right while Georgia Gwinnett's Lewis Sharpe guessed left, giving the Eagles the 1-0 lead.
The game started with an emphasis on defense as neither team had a good opportunity in the early going, despite several corner kicks by both squads. Freshman
Sigurbergur Elisson had a shot blocked in the 11th minutes and the ricochet fell to
Nicklas Petersson whose shot was similarly blocked, denying the Blue and Gold an early lead.
The next several shots for both teams were on frame, but Sharpe and his counterpart
Nils Carlson were up the task, keeping the game level at 0-0.
The Grizzlies managed a shutout of the Eagles in the first half, the first and only time in 2013 an Eagle opponent had done so.
As the second half began the visitors were the aggressors, managing the first two shots of the period, neither finding the back of the net.
Petersson had a great chance at the 58:45 mark, but Sharpe was once again equal to his shot and the next action was the penalty kick that Couturier netted.
Couturier was inches from putting Embry-Riddle up by two scores on a header off a corner that glanced off the crossbar and was subsequently cleared by GGC.
Carlson saved two consecutive GGC shots before Ibahima Sissoko had the best opportunity of the match for the Grizzlies. After one Grizzlie beat several Eagles into the box, his pass found Sissoko who had an open net in front of him, however, the GGC forward's shot was high and hit off the crossbar and out of bounds as the Eagles held on to their 1-0 advantage.
Georgia Gwinnett possessed the ball for most of the final 20 minutes, but the Eagle defense and Carlson did not break, holding on for the ninth shutout of 2013.
The Eagles outshot the Grizzlies 18-14 while both teams' managed seven shots on frame. Carlson's seven saves were one more than Sharpe's six and he earned his 21st career shutout, extending his own Embry-Riddle record.
With the victory, the Eagles travel to the final site of the national tournament for the first time since 2009 where they advnaced to the quarterfinals.
Game date and time is yet to be announced.
