WINGATE, N.C. – Taking on a defending national champion for the first time in program history, Clayton State (5-6, 0-2 PBC) went toe-to-toe with Wingate (9-3, 6-0 SAC) before falling 4-3 in double overtime in an NCAA Division II men's soccer game on Saturday, October 7.
 
Showing no signs of the daunting task facing them, it would be the Lakers that struck first – and they did so quickly. Following an opening shot from the Bulldogs at the end of the first minute, it would be freshman defender Dionysius Harmon (Loganville, Ga.) responding for Clayton State as he pounded a shot from the top of the box that got home for a 1-0 lead at 4:54.
 
It would be nearly 10 minutes before WU would have the opportunity to respond and it would take a foul in the box for them to do so. Felipe Checco would line up for a penalty kick and put it home to the right corner, knotting the score at 1-1 with 14:34. The Lakers would limit Wingate to only four more shots the rest of the way, and only one on goal, as they remained tied heading into the half more than a half hour later.
 
Clayton State would be the team to break through in the second half, although it would take 32 minutes to do so. Just into the 78^th minute, junior forward Kevin Otokore (Paris, France) would possess the ball at the top left corner of the box, rifling home his first goal of the season and giving the Lakers a 2-1 advantage at the 77:18 mark.
 
The celebration would be short lived, however, as a foul in the box just 18 seconds later yielded the second penalty kick of the game for the Bulldogs. As with the first, they capitalized on it as Jon Ander buried it into the left corner to deadlock at 2-2.
 
Offensive pressure from both teams would pick up from there as WU launched a cross in the 87^th minute that Ander banged off the bottom of the crossbar. At 87:16, the Lakers would put one across the goal mouth that required a leaping save – and that only set the stage.
 
Harmon collected the ball out at midfield just seconds later and proceeded to charge towards the right corner, eventually crossing the ball towards the far post at the very end of his run. On the other end of that pass would be junior defender Kwaku Dwamena (Richmond, Va.) who put a foot on it for his league leading ninth goal of the year and a 3-2 lead with just 2:04 left.
 
However, you don't win a national championship without having the ability to come back from adversity and that is exactly what the Bulldogs did. A quick surge would get the ball into the offensive end and resulted in a shot and save at the 89:13 mark. The next one would find its way home as Christian Szalay corralled the ball 12 yards out from the net and drove a hard and low shot just inside the right corner to tie it at 3-3 with just 26 seconds left.
 
It would be an up-and-down affair in the that first overtime session but the only real shot at a golden goal came with 46 seconds left as Rob Tomlin lofted one over charging redshirt-senior goalkeeper Oliver Pannell (Nottingham, England). It was a ball that was ticketed for the goal until senior defender Karl Addie Jr. (Jonesboro, Ga.) dropped back just in time to head it away on the bounce and send the teams to double overtime.
 
In the final OT, Wingate sent a header over the goal four minutes in while the Lakers notched back-to-back shots in little over a minute. A foul at the other end, however, would result in a corner kick with two-and-a-half minutes left. Off that serve by Ander, Szalay would put a head on the ball and send it past the keeper to the back right corner for an improbable 4-3, double overtime victory.
 
Almost all of the Bulldogs' offense would come off the bench as Ander produced a goal and two assists while Szalay delivered both the tying and winning goals. Checco had the only other offense on his first half penalty kick conversion. In net, Pablo Jara played all 107:34 and allowed three goals against one save to improve to 9-3.
 
In a strong offensive effort, Clayton State saw Harmon lead the way with a goal and an assist while Otokore and Dwamena each added a score against the 2016 NCAA Division II national champions. Pannell went the distance with a career-high 107:34 played. In that time he faced 19 shots, allowed four goals and made three saves. He falls to 3-6 on the year.
 
The Lakers will now be fully in Peach Belt Conference play the rest of the way as they host Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday, October 11. Game time is set for a special 1 p.m. kickoff at Laker Field.
 
NOTES
The game was the first for Clayton State against a defending national champion … it also marked the third straight year these teams have played following an 18-year hiatus.