GGC Athletics
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Georgia Gwinnett College has swept the Continental Athletic Conference women’s soccer postseason awards for the 2024 season, with Georgia Gwinnett College senior defender Ola Orelesi receiving the Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year.
The team and special honors were selected in voting by league head coaches.
Junior Ayano Kurosawa earned the Goalkeeper of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors, while Dr. Mike Giuliano was named Coach of the Year.
Joining Kurosawa and Orelesi on the CAC’s first team were seniors Bre Harvey, Aurora Miglio and Pernilla Westergren, along with junior Natalie Maguire and sophomore Riko Yasuzawa. Junior Kendra Davis received second all-conference team accolades and Westergren was named to the CAC’s Champion of Character team.
The Grizzlies were the top seed for the 2024 CAC Women’s Soccer Championships, currently underway on campus, and concluded the regular season ranked No. 22 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll.
Orelesi started all 17 matches she appeared in and scored three goals and provided two assists this fall. She provided the match-winning goal in road wins against Brewton-Parker College (Georgia) and Xavier University of Louisiana. The defender also helped anchor a defensive unit that posted nine shutouts.
Benefitting from Orelesi’s fine defensive play has been Kurosawa, posting a 1.19 goals against average and making 66 saves across 17 matches. The goalkeeper was named the NAIA Defensive Player of the Week after making 11 saves in a 3-0 shutout at nationally ranked University of Cumberland (Tennessee).
Giuliano led the Grizzlies to a 11-6-1 record during regular season. He has a 486-211-70 mark in 36 years as a collegiate coach.
Miglio led the Grizzlies with 10 goals and 25 points while starting 16 of the 17 matches she appeared in this fall. Maguire tied for team-high honors with six assists and added nine goals to the team’s balanced offensive attack. Westergren also had six assists to go along with four goals in 19 matches.
Harvey started all 19 matches in 2024 and contributed two assists. Yasuzawa has six goals this fall after scoring twice in Monday’s CAC semifinal victory against Talladega College (Alabama).
Davis is tied with Maguire with nine goals scored and registered hat tricks against Montreat College (North Carolina) and University of Rio Grande (Ohio) during the season.
GGC will face Bellevue University (Nebraska) in the championship match of the 2024 CAC tournament on Wednesday, November 13, at 7 p.m. from Lawrenceville, Georgia. The winner will represent the league in the NAIA postseason tournament.
Here is a list of the Grizzlies’ 2024 Continental Athletic Conference specialty award winners, all-conference team selections, and Champion of Character honorees:
Player of the Year: Ola Orelesi
Goalkeeper of the Year: Ayano Kurosawa
Newcomer of the Year: Ayano Kurosawa
Coach of the Year: Dr. Mike Giuliano
First Team
Forward – Natalie Maguire
Forward – Aurora Miglio
Midfielder – Pernilla Westergren
Midfielder – Riko Yasuzawa
Defender – Bre Harvey
Defender – Ola Orelesi
Goalkeeper – Ayano Kurosawa
Second Team
Forward – Kendra Davis
Champion of Character
Pernilla Westergren