MORROW, Ga. – Taking on their first ranked opponent of the season, Clayton State (3-3, 0-1 PBC) could not pull off the upset as No. 21 Limestone (4-1-1, 3-0-0 CC) delivered a 3-0 decision in an NCAA Division II men's soccer game on Saturday, September 23.
 
The Saints would waste no time as they got on the board early with an unassisted score from Nacho Reigada just 1:08 in. That 1-0 lead would remain only for seven minutes as Limestone earned a penalty kick at 8:12. Ruairi Croskery would then plant the ball in the right corner for a 2-0 lead.
 
Croskery would find the back of the net 20 minutes later as Ivan Tapuskovic found him on the left post from the far side. From there he would power home his second score, this to the back of the left corner, to make it 3-0 at the 28:29 mark.
 
The teams would then ride out the final 16-plus minutes to head to the break with a three goal margin. In the second half, despite an early surge of shots by the Lakers, Limestone would maintain that three goal lead. At the same time, however, Clayton State's defense would step up and hold the Saints scoreless over the final 45 minutes. Over that stretch, they fended off five shots before falling by the final margin of 3-0.
 
Croskery led No. 21 Limestone with a pair of goals, including on a penalty kick, while Reigada posted the only other score. Tapuskovic rounded out the offense with an assist on Croskery's final score. Thomas Osborne played all 90 minutes in goal, recording six saves to post the clean sheet and move to 5-1-1 on the season. The shutout was the Saints fourth straight scoreless effort.
 
For the Lakers, sophomore forward Dean Foster (Johannesburg, South Africa) spearheaded a nine shot effort with three of his own, all on goal, while redshirt-senior forward Sekou Thornell (Atlanta, Ga.) added a pair of shots.
 
In net, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Oliver Pannell (Nottingham, England) played the first half, surrendering all three goals to fall to 2-4 on the year. Sophomore goalkeeper Leuri Fraire (Dalton, Ga.) took over in the second half, delivering a scoreless 45 minutes with a pair of saves.
 
The Lakers continue at home as they host Auburn-Montgomery on Wednesday, September 27. Game time is set for 7 p.m.