MORROW, Ga. – Taking on an opponent they had not seen in more than 20 years, Clayton State (3-2, 0-0 PBC) would get a record-setting performance as they recovered from a slow start against Southern Wesleyan (1-3, 1-0 CC) to deliver a commanding 5-1 victory in an NCAA Division II men's soccer game on Wednesday, September 13.
 
The Warriors would get on the board first as they crashed the offensive zone just seven minutes in. Izzy Evans banged one off the keeper that ricocheted off the crossbar. The ball then caromed out to Jhon Peter Mareus who headed into the back right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead at 7:03.
 
It would take more than 22 minutes but the Lakers would deliver the equalizer and it would come from their leading point getter. Off an indirect kick, junior midfielder Tom Mitchinson (Middlesbrough, England) touched the ball to sophomore forward Dean Foster (Johannesburg, South Africa) who lofted it into the left side of the net to knot it at 1-1 with 29:52 gone by.
 
That would open the floodgates as junior defender Kwaku Dwamena (Richmond, Va.) notched back-to-back scores to drive his season total to three. He would pick up an unassisted goal off a break down the left side, burying the ball into the right corner of the net at 30:51 to pull ahead 2-1.
 
Mitchinson would set up Dwamena's second goal in the 43^rd minute as he rushed down the right side and crossed the ball to the far left. That ball found the foot of his former Southern Methodist College teammate who put it into the back right corner to push to a 3-1 advantage at 42:46.
 
That lead would hold heading into the second half but it would be a familiar tandem that would extend the lead to three goals. From just to the right of the arc, Mitchinson centered the ball to Dwamena who rifled a shot dead center to the goal mouth that deflected off the keeper's hands and in for a natural hat trick. That score made it 4-1 at 61:10.
 
It would stay that way for the nearly the next 24 minutes until redshirt-senior forward Sekou Thornell (Atlanta, Ga.) earned a free kick in the 86^th minute. Positioned at the top of the box, the veteran lofted the ball over the keeper and to the right side of the goal to reach what would be the final margin of 5-1.
 
Mareus delivered the lone goal for the Warriors while Evans picked up an assist on the redirect. Mareus led the club with four shots and was joined with two on net by Sergio Tapia and Alex Olson. Miguel Uribe started and played 83:13, surrendering four goals against five saves to fall to 1-3. Fackety Occil replaced him for the final 6:47 and allowed the fifth goal while making one save.
 
Dwamena notched his first career hat trick to lead the way for the Lakers but the story was Mitchinson, who tied a program single game record with his three assists. He becomes the 12^th player to accomplish that feat and the first since Bilal Nakhli against Erskine on September 6, 2014. The last player to record three goals in a single game was senior midfielder Ryan King (County Durham, England) at North Georgia on October 26, 2016.
 
Foster added his, at the time, team-leading fourth goal – a mark now shared with Dwamena – while Thornell connected on his second goal in as many games. In net, sophomore goalkeeper Leuri Fraire (Dalton, Ga.) saw his first action of the year as he played all 90 minutes recorded seven saves against just one goal allowed. The latter equals his career best, which he has achieved three times previously. He moves to 1-0 on the year.
 
The Lakers shift into the Peach Belt Conference portion of their schedule as they hit the road to face Lander (3-2, 0-0 PBC) on Saturday, September 16. Game time is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. following the women's contest in Greenwood, South Carolina.
 
NOTES
Mitchinson joined Bilal Nakhli (2014) Jonny Evans (2012), Kyle Timm (2009), Matty Phillips (2008), Tonny Madegwa (2007), Hailab Habtom (2006), Zuca Palladino (2002), Gavin Fredericks (1996), Tony Milam (1995), Jason Nidiffer (1995) and Matthew Anthony (1993) as Lakers that have had three assists in a game … Anthony's also came against Southern Wesleyan, that one on September 25, 1993 … he is the seventh player to accomplish the feat during head coach Pete Petersen's tenure, which began in 2004 ... this was the first meeting between the teams since November 8, 1996 when both were in the NAIA ... Clayton State leads the series 7-1 and is a perfect 4-0 at home.