AUGUSTA, Ga. – A record-setting season continues as Clayton State men's soccer dominated the announcement of the 2019 All-Peach Belt Conference Teams on Thursday, November 14 as they tied multiple records, collected two major honors and achieved a first in program history.
 
Headlining for the Lakers were Player of the Year honors for redshirt-senior midfielder Ryan King (County Durham, England) and Coach of the Year recognition for Pete Petersen. Joining King on the First-Team were senior defender Jordan Knight (Javea, Spain) and junior goalkeeper Theo Blachon (St. Etienne, France) while sophomore forward Brad Kay (Manchester, England) and freshman midfielder Geo Rios (Lawrenceville, Ga.) each collected Second-Team hardware.
 
In addition to that group, senior midfielder Dusan Stankovic (Belgrade, Serbia) made program history as he became the first men's soccer player to earn the PBC Elite 15 Award. Modeled after the NCAA's Elite 90, the award represents the 15 sports sponsored by the league and honors the individual from each of those sports with the highest GPA at their championship site.
 
This year for men's soccer that is Stankovic with a 3.91 GPA in Business. He joins Joy Diaz of cross country in 2017 as the only other Clayton State student-athlete to be so honored.
 
In terms of the major honors, King becomes the fifth individual to earn PBC Player of the Year honors and the first since 2010. He joins Marco Capazario (2001), Tonny Madegwa (2007), Kyle Timm (2009) and Ryan Pugh (2010) as the only individuals to accomplish that in program history.
 
He earned that with a season that has seen him score 17 goals along with a pair of assists for 36 points. He is tied for the Southeast Region lead in goals and one point behind in points while ranking third nationally in total goals and goals per game (1.06), sixth in points per game (2.25) and seventh in total points.
 
He has also been named PBC Player of the Week three times this season, setting the program single season mark as well as the all-time record with four for his career. King also became the first Laker to be named United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week after a stretch that saw him score five goals. Among them, he scored all three goals in a tremendous 3-2 double overtime victory at No. 7 Francis Marion (11/2).
 
He is also this year's Gold Ball Winner as the league's leading scorer. He joins Kwaku Dwamena (17 goals in 2017), Avery Shepard (11 goals in 2015), Jamal Geathers (18 goals in 2007) and Leighton Fredericks (13 goals in 2008), all under head coach Pete Petersen.
 
Petersen collects his fourth PBC Coach of the Year honor and breaks a tie with UNC Pembroke's Mike Schaeffer, USC Upstate's Greg Hooks, Francis Marion's Murray Hartzler and Flagler's John Lynch for the most in league history.
 
He claimed his others in 2005, 2007 and 2010 and, combined with John Rootes' honor in 2001, has now tied the league mark for Coach of the Year honors by an institution. It equals the five of USC Upstate from 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998 and 2003.
 
This season has been a resurgent one for Petersen and the Lakers as they have compiled a sterling 14-5 overall record, tied for second in the PBC with a 5-2 mark, have posted eight shutouts and knocked off No. 7 FMU. They currently find themselves in the league semifinals for a third straight season and returned to the national rankings at No. 19 on September 17. It was the first time since the 2011 campaign.
 
Two of the players that have played a huge role in that success have been First-Team selections Blachon and Knight as they have anchored a tremendous defense all season long.
 
Blachon has been lights out in goal, going 14-5 with a 0.88 goals against average, .828 save percentage and eight shutouts. He has been named PBC Player of the Week a program single season and all-time record four times this season and is No. 13 nationally in shutouts and save percentage as well as No. 37 in GAA.
 
He ranks second in the Southeast Region in save percentage and fifth in GAA while leading the league in the former as well as saves (82). On top of his defensive prowess, Blachon's big leg has netted him a pair of assists from the other end of the field.
 
Helping to limit the shots that his keeper has had to face has been Knight, who has started all 19 games and has hardly left the field with 1,681 minutes played. Under his leadership the Lakers have produced an outstanding 14 games of one goal or fewer allowed, including those eight shutouts.
 
For his efforts, Knight has been recognized as the PBC Defender of the Week a program single season and all-time mark four times. Additionally, his defense has not surrendered more than three goals in a game and he himself sent Clayton State back to the semifinals as he scored his first career goal, the game-winner, in the 2-1 overtime victory over Flagler.
 
While King has been a force to be reckoned with offensively, he has had a running mate that could lead any number of other teams in scoring. That would be Second-Team selection Brad Kay with his 10 goals, four assists and 24 points in 19 games and 13 starts. He is fourth in the PBC in goals and fifth in points and has scored in eight of 19 games, including two goals and an assist in a 5-3 win over North Georgia.
 
Helping to setup that potent offense, and be a part of it, is fellow Second-Team honoree Geo Rios who has three goals and four assists in 19 games and 10 starts. That assist total equals the fourth most in the league and three of those came in that North Georgia game to tie a program record. In that FMU win, he played 82 minutes to help get the ball into the offensive end.
 
With the five honorees, the Lakers all-time All-PBC selection total grows to an impressive 62 honorees. Those selections also extend a stretch of 20 straight years, dating back to 2000, that Clayton State has had at least one player selected to the All-Peach Belt Conference Team. It is also the 18^th time that the club has had multiple selections in a season.
 
The five individuals named to the team this year ties the 2008 team for the most in program history while the three First-Team choices matches the 2009, 2010 and 2011 teams.
 
Clayton State is back in action tomorrow, Friday, November 15, as they face off once again against No. 21 Lander in the league's semifinals. Game time is set for 8 p.m. and will be a rematch of the past two year's semifinal rounds as well as the match up from just three games ago.

2019 Peach Belt Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams
FIRST-TEAM
Forwards
Seba Andreassen, Young Harris
Ryan King, Clayton State
Dan McGuire, Flagler
Sondre Olsen, Young Harris
 
Midfielders
Travis Cooke, Francis Marion
Val Feeney, Young Harris
Alvaro Zamora, Francis Marion
Robbie Young, Lander
 
Defenders
Jordan Knight, Clayton State
Ali Koller, Young Harris
Sam Pollard, Francis Marion
 
Goalkeeper
Theo Blachon, Clayton State
 
SECOND-TEAM
Forwards
Max Bolton, Lander
Brad Kay, Clayton State
Max McNulty, Lander
Eren Ozer, North Georgia
 
Midfielders
Harry Bircumshaw, Lander
Donovan Odier, North Georgia
Geo Rios, Clayton State
Yesin van der Pluijm, Young Harris
 
Defenders
Ranaldo Bailey, USC Aiken
Dani Fischer, Young Harris
Alex Gschwend, Young Harris
Javier Morcillo, Francis Marion
 
Goalkeeper
Jacob Withers, Lander
 
Elite 15 Award (Highest GPA at Championships)
Dusan Stankovic, Clayton State

Select Sport Gold Ball Award (Most Goals Scored)
Ryan King, Clayton State
 
PBC Player of the Year
Ryan King, Clayton State
 
PBC Co-Freshmen of the Year
Max Bolton, Lander
Alvaro Zamora, Francis Marion
 
PBC Coach of the Year
Pete Petersen, Clayton State
 
Clayton State Men's Soccer All-Peach Belt Conference History (62 Overall)
2019 (5)
*Ryan King (First-Team)
Jordan Knight (First-Team)
Theo Blachon (First-Team)
Brad Kay (Second-Team)
Geo Rios (Second-Team)
 
2018 (2)
Kwaku Dwamena (Second-Team)
Mitro Turunen (Second-Team)
 
2017 (3)
Kwaku Dwamena (First-Team)
Dean Foster (First-Team)
Jordan Knight (Second-Team)
 
2016 (2)
Ryan King (Second-Team)
Iain Smith (Second-Team)
 
2015 (3)
Avery Shepard (First-Team)
Aleksi Tuominen (First-Team)
Jonny Evans (Second-Team)
 
2014 (3)
Jonny Evans (First-Team)
Avery Shepard (First-Team)
Nick Hague (Second-Team)
 
2013 (1)
Alhagi Toure (First-Team)
 
2012 (1)
Ado Junuzovic (First-Team)
 
2011 (3)
Matty Phillips (First-Team)
Janny Rivera (First -Team)
Chris Klute (First -Team)
 
2010 (3)
*Ryan Pugh (First-Team)
Matty Phillips (First-Team)
Igor Lukic (First-Team)
 
2009 (4)
*Kyle Timm (First-Team)
Liam Brown (First-Team)
David Cristofoli (First-Team)
Leighton Fredericks (Second-Team)
 
2008 (5)
Johnny Lara (First-Team)
Leighton Fredericks (Second-Team)
Matty Phillips (Second-Team)
Patrick Ahern (Second-Team)
Kyle Timm (Second-Team)
 
2007 (4)
Marijan Babic
Jamal Geathers
Hailab Habtom
*Tonny Madegwa
 
2006 (4)
Kevin Crooks
Hailab Habtom
Johnny Lara
Andre Rall
 
2005 (5)
Kevin Crooks
Alex Dowling
Johnny Lara
Heath Padgett
Juan Trujillo
 
2004 (3)
Alex Dowling
Heath Padgett
Juan Trujillo
 
2003 (2)
David Dowling
Andre Rall
 
2002 (3)
Warren van der Westhuizen
Zuca Palladino
David Dowling
 
2001 (3)
*Marco Capazario
Barry Casebeer
Warren van der Westhuizen
 
2000 (3)
Josh Grenier
Barry Casebeer
Warren van der Westhuizen
*PBC Player of the Year