MORROW, Ga. – Sophomore forward Dean Foster (Johannesburg, South Africa) tied it and then drilled a golden goal in overtime to lead Clayton State (7-6, 2-2 PBC) to an incredible 4-3 victory over No. 7 Young Harris (10-2-2, 4-1-1 PBC) in an NCAA Division II men's soccer game on Wednesday, October 18.
 
Taking on a team they hadn't beaten in their last five tries, and one of the best in the nation, the Lakers showed no signs of the moment being too big for them. After allowing an unassisted score by the Mountain Lions Marco Micaletto at the 23:21 mark they would answer right back.
 
Ten minutes later freshman midfielder Dionysius Harmon (Loganville, Ga.), the reigning Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week, continued his assault on opposing defenses as he accelerated down the middle of the field to catch up to a through ball. YHC's keeper came out to try and cut off the opportunity only to see the 6-2 Harmon sidestep him, go deep to the left corner and cut in before drilling a ball to the unguarded far right corner.
 
That 1-1 deadlock would last from the 33:32 mark into the second half but it wouldn't stay tied much longer than that. One of the top players in the PBC, junior defender Kwaku Dwamena (Richmond, Va.), would see to that. Entering the night with a league leading nine goals, he would add to that total in the 57^th minute by virtue of a penalty kick. After a delayed approach to the ball he rifled it into the right hand corner for a 2-1 advantage at 56:42.
 
It would be a short lived lead, however, as Micaletto would knot it up just three minutes later. Macauley King lofted a corner kick from the far right side with 59:42 gone by and Alex Jacq redirected it to Micaletto who finished it off for his second score of the night.
 
Knotted at 2-2, the Mountain Lions were not satisfied with drawing even as King struck again off of a corner just six minutes later. Off that service he found Mikie Rowe in front of the net, who then played it in for a 3-2 advantage at the 65:13 mark. It would be the last time that Young Harris would see the back of the net.
 
Continuing the rapid fire offensive approach, Foster broke through down the middle less than three minutes later, charged in on the keeper with a defender pressuring him and chipped a ball to the far right corner of the net to even the game at 3-3 with just over 68 minutes gone by.
 
YHC would ramp up the offensive pressure over those next 22 minutes as the Lakers defense was forced to turn away seven shots and six corner kicks, including four in a row of the latter in a span of four minutes. That backline effort, along with several impressive saves from redshirt-senior goalkeeper Oliver Pannell (Nottingham, England), would send the teams to overtime with three scores apiece.
 
The frame would start off inauspiciously for Clayton State as they posted back-to-back fouls followed by a yellow card in the first two-plus minutes. They would turn away a shot by King in the 93^rd minute before the tide turned in their favor. Following a yellow against YHC at the 93:06 mark, the league undefeated would add a critical foul two minutes later.
 
That misstep would provide one of the most dangerous scorers in the PBC with an opportunity to inflict more damage – and it would be an opportunity that Foster would not let pass him by.
 
Setup for a free kick on the far side of the field, some 30 yards away, he drilled a ball up and over a leaping attempt by the Mountain Lions keeper, going top shelf for the golden goal and an historic 4-3 overtime decision before being mobbed by his teammates in front of a raucous crowd.
 
Micaletto led Young Harris with a pair of scores while Rowe was the only other player to find the back of the net. King added two assists with Jacq chipping in with one. Alex Iglesias played all 95:27, allowing all four goals against five saves. He drops to 10-2-2 on the year.
 
Foster was the offensive closer for Clayton State as he delivered both the tying and game winning goals while Dwamena and Harmon each added solo scores, all unassisted. While the fine play of the defense turned away multiple attempts in the box, Pannell was the story in goal.
 
Going the distance, he allowed three goals to one of the best teams in the country but recorded a career-best 15 saves, many of them spectacular, to go to 5-6 on the year. That save total nearly doubled his previous career-high of eight set against Tampa on September 12, 2015.
 
"Young Harris and head coach Mark McKeever are a class team and a national powerhouse ... and they definitely had their looks!" said head coach Pete Petersen. "We had come oh so close with several games this season and we could not seal the deal. Our mantra tonight was fight and scratch and claw for everything ... no style points, just battle – and they did. So, so proud of the fellas and staff!"
 
The Lakers continue their push for a spot in the 2017 Peach Belt Conference Tournament when they travel to USC Aiken on Saturday, October 21. Game time is set for 1 p.m. in Aiken, South Carolina and pits two of the three teams tied for a home quarterfinal berth.
 
NOTES
With their efforts on the evening, Clayton State now has the top two goal scorers and point getters in the PBC … Dwamena leads with 10 goals and 23 points while Foster is second with nine scores and 21 points … with the win, the Lakers moved into a tie for fourth place in the league … the win over Young Harris was the first in the last six meetings, dating to a 2-1 decision at Laker Field on October 24, 2012.