MORROW, Ga. – Taking on a key Southeast Region member, as well as a nationally ranked foe, Clayton State (2-1-1, 0-0-0 PBC) earned a hard fought 1-1 tie with No. 23 Wingate (2-0-2, 0-0-0 SAC) in an NCAA Division II men's soccer game on Monday, September 14.

Sophomore defender Nick Hague (Sheffield, England) did more than just help anchor a staunch Lakers defense as he put them out ahead at the 22:15 mark. With sophomore defender Aleksi Tuominen (Helsinki, Finland) serving in a perfect corner kick, Hague got a head on the ball and found the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage.

Both of those players would then continue to provide strong defense over the next 60 minutes until Wingate finally broke through late in the second half. Having fired off an impressive eight shots in the half, the Bulldog's Charlie Machell delivered a cross into the box and Aksel Juul made the ninth one count as he just pushed it past the keeper, tying the game at 1-1 with 8:02 to play.

From there, shots would be at a premium following 82 minutes of action that saw the teams combine for 25 shots, 13 of which were on goal. Neither club would tally another shot in regulation, sending the game to overtime.

WU would come out firing in the extra session as Shaun Gadsby put one on goal less than two minutes in and the Bulldogs followed with consecutive corner kicks. They would add a header attempt at the 2:29 mark while junior forward Sekou Thornell (Atlanta, Ga.) put one net at 1:44. The latter required a defensive save from Gustavo Andrade. Following an exchange of corner kicks in the final minutes, the teams would head to a second OT.

In stark contrast to the opening extra session, the final one would see just a WU corner in the first four minutes. Gadsby would get one on goal but senior keeper Viltsu Tuumi (Pori, Finland) came up with the big save with 4:57 to play. The Lakers would then go on the attack as graduate forward Iain Smith (Suwanee, Ga.) fired one high with 1:31 to play. That would be the last sustained offensive burst for either team as each came away with a point in the 1-1 tie.

Juul and Machell posted the only offense for Wingate with their goal and assist, respectively, while Pablo Jara played all 110 minutes in goal. He made three saves allowed the only goal to fall to 2-0-2 on the season. Andrade also recorded a defensive save to give the team four on the night.

Hague delivered his second career goal for the only scoring while Tuominen posted his team-leading third assist of the year to account for the Lakers offense. In net, Tuumi made a career-high seven saves and surrendered just the one goal to earn the tie and improve to 0-0-1 on the year.

The Lakers return to action when they open up Peach Belt Conference play with a trip to Flagler on Saturday, September 19. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. in St. Augustine, Fla.

NOTES
A neutral site contest, the game was played at the MeSA Complex in Greer, S.C.