MORROW, Ga. – Following a three game midseason losing streak, Clayton State (5-4-1, 2-2-0 PBC) has responded nicely with a second straight victory, defeating Lander (5-4-1, 1-3-1 PBC) 2-0 in an NCAA Division II men's soccer game on Saturday, October 11.

After outshooting LU 6-2 in a scoreless first half, the Lakers were able to capitalize in the 56th minute as sophomore midfielder Casey Shultis (McDonough, Ga.) found senior midfielder Arturo Cruz (Atlanta, Ga.) on the left side of the goal. Cruz promptly buried a ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage with 55:45 gone by.

Lander would not go away as they peppered five more shots, three on goal, over the next 26:15 before Clayton State junior midfielder Avery Shepard (Kennesaw, Ga.) took a clean pass from graduate midfielder Paul Lawless (Knock, Ireland) to just about cement the victory with a 2-0 lead at the 82:48 mark. From there, the Bearcats would not manage another shot as the Lakers picked up their fifth win of the season.

Cruz and Shepard spearheaded the offensive effort for Clayton State with solo goals while Shultis and Lawless each had an assist. Senior goalkeeper Nick Punter (Suffolk, England) went the distance in goal while making five saves. He improves to 3-4-1 on the season.

The Bearcats mustered just eight shots, five on net, with Steven Gonzalez leading the way with a pair of the latter. Barrett Nielsen made five saves but allowed both goals in his 90 minutes of work in goal to fall to 5-4-1.

Clayton State continues Peach Belt Conference action on Wednesday, October 15 when they travel to North Georgia. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. in Dahlonega, Ga.