GREENWOOD, S.C. – Clayton State (2-2, 0-1 PBC) battled Lander (4-1, 1-0 PBC) in their Peach Belt Conference opener before dropping a narrow 1-0 decision in an NCAA Division II women's soccer game on Saturday, September 16.
 
Following a scoreless first half that saw a combined 12 shots, the Bearcats would open the second half with a bevy of attempts. Three of those would come within the span of a minute while the fourth would finally find the back of the net. Logan Lewis would make it 1-0 at 53:24 as she picked up her first score of the year.
 
The Lakers would not be able to capitalize on a penalty kick just over two minutes later and would manage just four shots the rest of the way from there. Half of those would come in the final two minutes as senior forward Erika Gurnsey (Wichita, Kansas) forced a save by LU's Sarah Owen.
 
In the process of making that save, Owen deflected the ball out of bounds, leading to a corner by senior forward Iciar Duran (Madrid, Spain) at the 88:12 mark. Clayton State was unable to take advantage of that attempt but Duran responded by firing off a shot 21 seconds later. That would end up in the hands of Owen as the Bearcats escaped with a slim 1-0 victory.
 
Lewis led the attack for Lander with the lone goal and finished with three shots, two of which were on goal. Hannah Martin also had three total shots and three on net. Owen picked up the shutout with six saves in 90 minutes of work. She improves to 3-1 on the year.
 
Sophomore defender Manoly Baquerizo (Guayaquil, Ecuador) led the Lakers with five shots, two on goal, while Duran had four total shots and two on net. In goal, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Jessica Charman (Harefield, England) played all 90 minutes and made seven saves against just the one goal allowed. She drops to 2-2 on the season.
 
The Lakers return to action on Wednesday, September 20 when they host UNC Pembroke. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Laker Field.