ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – With just six shots on the day, and only three on net, Clayton State (9-3-0, 2-0-0 PBC) showed they can be efficient as well as one of the top offensive and defensive teams in the nation as they produced a 2-1 victory at Flagler (1-10-1, 0-3-0 PBC) in an NCAA Division II men's soccer game on Sunday, October 20.
 
The Lakers would manage just three shots in both halves but they would take advantage of those limited opportunities. Deadlocked at 0-0 through the first 18 minutes, that would change when senior defender Jordan Knight (Javea, Spain) worked his way into the front half of the field and crossed the ball into the box.
 
Waiting on the other end was redshirt-senior midfielder Ryan King (County Durham, England) who headed it home for his eighth goal of the year, this coming at the 18:53 mark. Back to defense, the teams would then take that 1-0 mark to the half.
 
Coming out of the break it wouldn't stay that way nearly as long as it took to get that first score and it would once again be initiated by the defense. Graduate defender Josh Rodgers (New Castle, England) advanced the ball before finding sophomore forward Brad Kay (Manchester, England) in the offensive end.
 
Clayton State's second leading scorer would add to his total as he delivered his sixth score of the year, making it 2-0 at the 47:23 mark. Flagler would get off the deck soon after as Stefan Zec-Bobeck took it himself less than three minutes later, finding the back of the net with 49:38 gone by.
 
That would not be the precursor to something more, however, as the Saints mustered just two more shots as the Lakers' defense locked back down to close out the 2-1 victory.
 
Zec-Bobeck produced the only offense for FC with his lone goal and Henrique Salomao finished with four shots, but just one on net. In goal, Andrea Lubbia played all 90 minutes, allowing both scores and making just one save to fall to 1-9-1 on the year.
 
Leading the way for Clayton State, King and Kay added to their impressive goal totals with one apiece and Knight and Rodgers added an assist each. Overall they managed just six shots and put half of those on frame. In net, junior goalkeeper Theo Blachon (St. Etienne, France) was masterful again as he allowed just the one goal while making four saves in 90 minutes. He moves to 9-3-0 this season.
 
The Lakers return to action on a short turn around when they host North Georgia (4-6-1, 1-1-0 PBC) on Wednesday, October 23. Slated for a 5 p.m. kickoff at Laker Field, that game will be a rematch of last season's epic Peach Belt Conference Quarterfinal.
 
NOTES
The nine victories this season are the most in a season since the 2014 team went 9-8-1 … Clayton State is now in five-way tie for first place with six points with Francis Marion, Young Harris, Lander and USC Aiken … all of those teams, however, have played three games to the Lakers two.