AMERICUS, Ga. – Georgia Southwestern battled unbeaten The University of Alabama in Huntsville through a scoreless opening half Thursday night, but a pair of second-half goals from Oli Orzechowski lifted the Chargers to a 2-0 victory at Hurricane Field.
GSW goalkeeper
Javier Barbosa kept the Hurricanes (1-2) within striking distance throughout the night, recording a season-high eight saves in his third start for the Blue & Gold.
The Chargers (3-0) applied pressure early, but Barbosa turned away four shots in the opening 45 minutes as the Hurricanes kept UAH off the scoreboard through halftime.
GSW generated a pair of quality chances of its own during the first half.
Theo Hoang put a shot on frame in the 13th minute, while
Dante Johnson forced another save from UAH goalkeeper Sonny Wright at the 25:05 mark.
UAH finally broke through four minutes after halftime.
Barbosa stopped Orzechowski's initial attempt at 49:02, but Orzechowski converted the rebound to give the Chargers a 1-0 advantage.
The Hurricanes looked for an equalizer over the next 16 minutes, with
Sean Carlos Rivera accounting for three second-half shot attempts, but UAH doubled its lead at 65:43. Brennan LeBlanc set up Orzechowski for his second goal of the night to give the Chargers a 2-0 cushion.
Barbosa helped keep the deficit at two from there, making three more saves during an eight-minute stretch midway through the second half.
UAH finished with a 20-5 advantage in shots and placed 10 attempts on goal. GSW put two of its five shots on target, with Hoang and Johnson accounting for both.
Rivera led the Hurricanes with three shot attempts, while Barbosa's eight saves surpassed the four he recorded Saturday at Embry-Riddle for his highest total through his first three matches at GSW.
The Chargers also held a 10-5 advantage in corner kicks, although GSW earned four of its five corners during the opening half.
Thursday marked the first shutout in the series since GSW and UAH renewed the matchup in 2023. The Chargers now lead the all-time series 7-0-1.
Next Up
- GSW returns to action Saturday when it welcomes the University of West Alabama to Hurricane Field for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff in the second of three consecutive home matches.
