MORROW, Ga. – On August 18, 1997, Clayton State Athletics completed a significant transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. The 2017-18 season marked the 20^th anniversary of that accomplishment. Over a seven week span, the Sports Information Office is releasing the top 20 moments in the NCAA era, one on each Monday, Wednesday and Friday with select exceptions.
  The countdown continues with the No. 14 moment, Women's Soccer Sweeps PBC Titles and Heads to NCAA's in 2005.
 
Women's soccer delivered one of the best seasons in program history in 2005 as they earned a share of the Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Championship and won the PBC Tournament for a second straight NCAA Division II Tournament berth.
 
Below are the original releases from the regular season clinching game (October 29, 2005), the tournament championship (November 5, 2005) and the Lakers NCAA Tournament game vs. Carson-Newman (November 11, 2005).
  MORROW, Ga. - Two 1-0 victories at Laker Field put an exclamation point on "Showdown Saturday" and made for an historic day in Clayton State Soccer.
 
Both the men's and women's and soccer teams captured the 2005 Peach Belt Conference Championship crowns with wins over conference opponent USC Upstate, the first time in Peach Belt history that the same school has won both the men's and women's soccer championships in the same year.
 
The Laker women's victory gave Clayton State a share of the PBC title with Columbus State, who also won on Saturday, while the men's victory over USC Upstate gave the Lakers the title outright over the Spartans. The Peach Belt title for the women's team is the first in program history, and the championship for the men is the second with the first title coming in 2001.
 
With the win, Clayton State's men's squad will host the 2005 Peach Belt Conference semifinals and finals next weekend, as the conference's top seed. Clayton State improves to 11-3-4 on the year and 5-0-1 in the league. The Lakers will receive a first round bye in the tournament, returning to the field on Saturday for the semifinals. USC Upstate drops to 11-2-2 overall and 3-1-2 in the league with the loss. The Spartans will return to action on Wednesday, hosting a match in the first round of the PBC Tournament.
 
Clayton State's women's team improves to 12-2-2 and 6-1-1 on the year and will return to action on Tuesday, hosting a first round Peach Belt match, as the second seed from the conference. Columbus State will enter the tourney as the top seed, since the Cougars won the regular match between the two schools. Upstate falls to 4-12-1 overall and 2-6 in the league. The Spartans will return to action on Tuesday, traveling for a first round Peach Belt Tournament match.
 
After a scoreless first half in the women's match, Clayton State broke the deadlock early in the second period with a goal by Nkese Udoh, her 15th of the year in the 50th minute. The score came off a pass from Olaitan Yusuf that crossed through the box, setting up Udoh for a shot in the lower right of the net.
 
Clayton State held on for the remainder of the match to pull out the victory. The Lakers controlled much of the match, outshooting Upstate 14-3 and led 3-0 in corner kicks. Clayton State keeper Judith Chime recorded her ninth shutout of the season, with three saves for the Lakers, while Upstate's Diana Wabnitz had five saves.
 
In the men's match, 13th-ranked Clayton State scored in the 33rd minute and held off a number of scoring threats by fifth-ranked USC Upstate to pull out the victory. 
 
Clayton State's Kevin Crooks scored the game winner, taking a pass from Scott LerClerc. Crooks beat Spartan keeper Ryan Cooper with a shot in the bottom right of the net from 13 yards out.
 
The match was not without controversy in the final 30 seconds, as Upstate's Liam Slack appeared to score the game-tying goal with a shot in the lower left of the net from inside the Clayton State box, but he was whistled for offsides, securing the victory for Clayton State.
 
USC Upstate out-shot Clayton State 11-3 in the match only to be denied by Clayton State keeper Heath Padgett and the Laker defense on several occasions. The Spartans' Troy Simon had the best chance to score in the first half only to have Padgett come up with a diving save, and in the second half, Chris Baretta had a shot from point blank range after some confusion in the Laker box, but once again, Padgett came up with a big stop.
 
Padgett finished with five saves for the Lakers and recorded his fifth solo shutout, while Ryan Cooper had one save for the Spartans. Upstate finished with six corner kicks compared to only one for the Lakers.
  COLUMBUS, Ga. - Clayton State's Nkese Udoh ran down a loose ball off a pass from Jennifer Powell and beat Columbus State's Monica Sanchez in the first overtime period Saturday to lift the Lakers to a 2-1 win and the Championship of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament in Columbus. 
 
The Lakers move to 15-2-2 with the win, while CSU is now 15-6-1. The two teams will now await the decision on the four teams to be chosen for the NCAA regional. The Tournament Championship for the Lakers comes on the heels of the squad sharing the regular season title with the Cougars. The title is also the first Tournament crown for the program after playing in the Tournament Championship game three out of the last four seasons.
 
Clayton State took the lead with Olaitn Yusuf's fifth goal of the tournament and 21st of the season in the 40th minute. Yusuf took a perfect crossing pass from Udoh and was able to net a spinning, almost 180-degree, kick past Sanchez for the 1-0 lead at the 39:43 mark.
 
Laker keeper Judith Chime had dodged three bullets in the first half as Columbus State was unable to connect from point-blank range, seeing two kicks go just wide and another just over the cross bar. The Lakers carried the 1-0 lead into the half.
 
It appeared as if Clayton State would earn the shutout as their defense looked impenetrable for most of the second half, but CSU finally broke through with the game-tying goal at the 79:00 mark. Megan Honig served in a corner kick that a Laker defender got her head on, but Brook Snyder took the deflection and hammered it into the upper right portion of the net to knot the score at 1-1. Snyder got another chance in the 89^th minute and almost got the game-winner, but her kick was just high and over the cross bar.
 
Clayton State went on the attack in the overtime period and scored just less than five minutes in. CSU cleared the ball out of the zone, but Powell was able to stop the ball and deliver an almost perfect serve which Udoh ran down and netted to start the celebration.
 
For the game, the Lakers held a 10-9 advantage in shots, while Columbus State held a 7-5 advantage in corner kicks. Sanchez had two saves for CSU, while Chime collected five saves for Clayton State.
 
Udoh was named the PBC Tournament MVP, while teammates Jennifer Winslett, Loretta Ashu, and Cassandra Rapaich were named to the All-Tournament team. CSU placed Kellie Myles, Brook Snyder, and Sarah Hawkins on the squad, as well.
 
The NCAA Region committee will make its decision this week on the four participants for the regional will be. Columbus State was fourth in last week's poll, while Clayton State was fifth. The decision will be announced early next week.
  GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - No. 23 Carson-Newman defeated No. 16 Clayton State 2-0 in first-round action at the NCAA Division II Women's Southeast Regional on Friday at Pioneer Field. The third-seeded Eagles advance to the regional final, where they will face fourth-seeded Catawba on Sunday at 1 p.m. in a rematch of last year's Southeast Regional Championship.
 
C-N improves to 15-4 on the season, while Clayton State, which entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed, concludes its season with a 15-3-2 mark.
 
Carson-Newman scored one goal in each half en route to its victory. Claire Ramsdale (Birmingham, England) put the Eagles on the board in the 32^nd minute when she headed in a pass from Brittany Moore (Lenoir City, Tenn.) from about five yards out.
 
 C-N added its insurance goal in the 60^th minute when Erica Stegner (Nicholasville, Ky.) drove in a shot from about five yards out off a pass from Jennifer Bock (Stevensville, Mich.).
 
The Eagles out-shot the Lakers by an 18-7 margin and took 11 corner kicks to Clayton State's one. C-N goalkeeper Nyssa Griffin (Adelaide, Australia) recorded four saves, while Judith Chime (Enugu, Nigeria) made two stops for CSU.
 
"I am absolutely delighted on how our team played tonight," Carson-Newman head coach Phil McNamara said.  "The team was fantastic from the first minute. We were very well organized, disciplined and very focused on keeping some of Clayton's talented players quiet."
 
"We have been waiting all season to play our best soccer and better late than never," added McNamara.
 
"We played a good team tonight," Clayton State head coach T.O. Totty said. "They played well and deserved the win. The weather played a factor (being cold) ... not making excuses, but we didn't handle the sudden drop in temperature. We didn't play as well as we are capable."
 
"We have made wonderful progress this season. Making the NCAA Tournament is a fine accomplishment. We need to build on this and learn from this experience," concluded Totty. 
 
Schedule of NCAA 20^th Anniversary Countdown Releases
No. 1 (July 11)
No. 2 (July 9)
No. 3 (July 5)
No. 4 (July 2)
No. 5 (June 29)
No. 6 (June 27)
No. 7 (June 25)
No. 8 (June 22)
No. 9 (June 20)
No. 10 (June 18)
No. 11 (June 15)
No. 12 (June 13)
No. 13 (June 11)
No. 14 Women's Soccer Sweeps PBC Titles and Heads to NCAA's in 2005 (June 8)
No. 15 Women's Basketball Makes First Elite Eight in 2006-07 (June 6)
No. 16 Men's Cross Country Delivers Record Setting 2005 Season (June 4)
No. 17 Women's Basketball Wins No. 1 vs. No. 2 Game vs. Lander on February 10, 2011 (June 1)
No. 18 Men's Basketball Wins First Ever PBC Championship in 2001-02 Regular Season Finale (May 30)
No. 19 Women's Cross Country Wins PBC, Heads to 2012 NCAA National Championships (May 28)
No. 20 Women's Tennis Makes NCAA Tournament in 1999 (May 25)