CLEVELAND, Ga. – Behind the force of three goals from freshman midfielder Ann-Cathrin Zabel (Schwarme, Germany), Clayton State (1-1, 0-0 PBC) raced past Truett-McConnell (2-2-1) by a 4-1 score in an NCAA Division II women's soccer game on Friday, September 8. The contest was scheduled to replace a game that was cancelled as a result of Hurricane Irma.
 
After more than 40 minutes of scoreless action, it would be TMU that got on the board first as Megan McCall found the back of the net at 41:22. That 1-0 lead would not last long, however, as Zabel took a pass from sophomore defender Manoly Baquerizo (Guayaquil, Ecuador) and buried it for the equalizer at 43:36. The teams would then head to the half deadlocked at 1-1.
 
It would again take a while for the offense to get going as neither team could break through over the first 24 minutes. It would be Zabel that would take care of that as she notched her second goal when senior forward Erika Gurnsey (Wichita, Kansas) found her at the 69:20 mark for a 2-1 Laker advantage.
 
Following another extended defensive stretch it would be Clayton State that would score in bunches to put the game away. Baquerizo notched her second assist when she setup senior forward Iciar Duran (Madrid, Spain) for her first of the season at 86:38 to make it a two-goal margin. Zabel would deliver the final blow with her third score just five seconds later off a pass from senior forward Skyler Young (Conyers, Ga.) to reach the final of 4-1.
 
Megan McCall had the only goal for the Bears and finished with a team-high five shots while her sister, Jennifer McCall, had three shots, all on goal. In net, Ashlyn Walloch made just three saves against four goals allowed over 90 minutes. She falls to 2-2-1 on the year.
 
Zabel led the way for the Lakers as she notched her first career hat trick and was joined by Duran with a goal. Baquerizo notched a pair of assists while Gurnsey and Young each had one. Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Jessica Charman (Harefield, England) delivered a strong game in goal, playing all 90 minutes and allowing just the one score while making five saves. With the win, she moves to 1-1 on the young season.
 
The Lakers return to action on Sunday, September 10 when they host Division I The Citadel at 12 p.m. The result of both teams losing home games to Hurricane Irma, it will mark just the second time Clayton State has hosted a Division I program at Laker Field. The only other time was September 5, 1999 when Western Carolina came to Morrow.
 
NOTES
The meeting between the Lakers and Truett-McConnell was the first in program history.