MORROW, Ga. – Taking on a team directly in front of them in the standings, Clayton State (7-4-1, 3-3-0 PBC) powered home a 2-0 victory over Francis Marion (8-4-1, 3-3-0 PBC) in an NCAA Division II men's soccer game on Sunday, October 18.

In a half that would see the teams combine for 17 shots, neither team would find the back of the net over the first 24 minutes. That would change at 24:33 when graduate forward Iain Smith (Suwanee, Ga.) crossed a ball in front of the goal, finding junior forward Sekou Thornell (Atlanta, Ga.). He then proceeded to chip it in to the left side for a 1-0 advantage.

Both teams defense would then continue to be on point as that one goal margin would hold until halftime. That would change quickly as the teams entered the second half, however. With just over six minutes gone by in the frame, senior midfielder Avery Shepard (Kennesaw, Ga.) found fellow senior midfielder Jonny Evans (Seaham, England) just to the right of the net. Evans then drove the ball into the back left corner for a 2-0 lead at 51:27.

That would be all the Lakers would need as their defense limited FMU to four shots the rest of the way, none on goal and only one in the last 24:40, to seal the 2-0 victory.

Levin Sandman led the Patriots with five shots, two on goal, while Gael Mabiala produced four shots with one coming on net. Defensively, Robert Schreiner saw his first action in net, playing all 90 minutes, making five saves and allowing both goals to fall to 0-1-0.

For Clayton State, Evans and Thornell delivered solo scores while Shepard and Smith each notched an assist to account for the offense. In goal, senior goalkeeper Viltsu Tuumi (Pori, Finland) played all 90 minutes and made seven saves to earn the shutout. He improves to 5-3-1 on the year.

The Lakers wrap up a three-game homestand on Wednesday, October 21 when they host Georgia Southwestern on Senior Night. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at Laker Field.