AUGUSTA, Ga. – A record setting season continues as Clayton State men's soccer set and tied multiple records with their third sweep of the Peach Belt Conference weekly awards this year as announced by the league on Monday, November 4.
 
It is the fourth time in program history overall that the Lakers have achieved that feat and they did so while shattering the single season mark for league weekly awards. They now have surpassed the 2010 team's nine such honors with an incredible 12 this season.
 
Senior defender Jordan Knight (Javea, Spain) collected his overall program record fourth Defender of the Week honor - all this season - junior Theo Blachon (St. Etienne, France) extended his team record with his amazing fourth Goalkeeper of the Week honor of the year and redshirt-senior midfielder Ryan King (County Durham, England) broke the team records with his third Player of the Week recognition this season and fourth for his career.
 
Since the league began naming three awards in 2008, it is only the 10^th time in that 11 year span that any PBC men's soccer program has swept the awards. Four of those now belong to the Lakers, including a league record three in a single season.
 
Clayton State first brought out the broom on October 12, 2010 when the triumvirate of Ryan Pugh (Offensive), Brett Neilson (Defender) and Brian Garcia (Goalkeeper) checked off all the boxes. The group of King (Offensive), Blachon (Goalkeeper) and Knight (Defender) matched that performance on September 16 of this year and Blachon and Knight were joined by sophomore midfielder Jack Stevens (Brisbane, Australia) on September 30.
 
The Lakers have tied Young Harris for the all-time record with four sweeps (Oct. 27, 2014, Sept. 5, 2017, Sept. 18, 2017 and Sept. 4, 2018) while North Georgia was the first on September 3, 2009. The only other program to accomplish the feat other than the Lakers is Lander on September 26, 2016 and October 28, 2019. Clayton State has now passed YHC's two sweeps during the 2017 season.
 
For Knight, he establishes a new program record with his fourth career Defender of the Week honor, passing Neilson and Igor Lukic. On top of that he moves past Neilson (Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Nov. 2) as the first Laker to get four in a season.
 
Blachon's fourth award of the year makes him the program's all-time leader after less than a full season as he passes the previous mark of three set by David Cristofoli (2008 – 1, 2009 - 2) and Brian Garcia (2010 - 2, 2011 - 1).
 
King passes Leighton Fredericks all-time mark of three Player of the Week honors with the fourth of his career and sets the single season record with three this year. He has claimed the honor this year on September 9 and September 16.
 
RYAN KING (OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK)
King delivered a tremendous performance that not only led to an undefeated week but a signature road win over a Top-10 team that kept them tied for first place in the Peach Belt Conference. On the week he finished with a whopping five goals for 10 points.
 
King opened with a two goal performance in an 8-0 win over North Greenville (10/29) - and that in just 45 minutes of work. Following a burst of three goals in three and a half minutes, he would follow with a penalty kick (3-of-3 at that point) and a beautiful free kick from deep on the left wing. The latter would see him curve the ball into the upper left hand corner for an impossible to stop score.
 
Taking on a much different opponent with a lot more on the line, King would not only match but exceed his performance against NGU. Taking on No. 7 Francis Marion (11/2) on the road in a showdown for first place in the PBC he got the Lakers on the board in the 23rd minute as he made it a perfect 4-of-4 on PK's.
 
After seeing the game tied up in the opening seconds of the second half he answered back with a powerful header off a corner from Jack Stevens in the 54th minute to regain the lead. The game would be tied back up minutes later and stay that way until midway through the second overtime. In true thrilling fashion, King was the one to take a free kick from the left wing and buried it deep in the left corner for the 3-2 game-winner at the 106:25 mark.
 
All three of those goals came against FMU's Maximiliano Rocco, who had not given up more than two goals in a game all season and is the owner of eight shutouts. The latter tied him for fifth in the country.
 
In terms of national rankings, as of November 3, he was second in the country in goals per game (1.15), third in points per game (2.46), fifth in total goals (15) and 10^th in total points (32). In the PBC he leads the league with 15 goals (by four over the next closest player) and points with 32. The latter is eight points ahead of the player in second place and he also leads in penalty kicks.
 
JORDAN KNIGHT (DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK)
Knight was a key member of another undefeated week for Clayton State as he played 152 minutes while anchoring a defense that posted a shutout and knocked off a Top-10 team on the road.
 
He would open the week against North Greenville (10/29) and guide the team to its eighth shutout of the season, a dominant 8-0 final. It would be an unusual day for him as well as he played just the first 45 minutes. He usually goes the distance but got a much deserved rest in advance of what would be a monumental game to cap the week.
 
That would be a road trip to No. 7 Francis Marion (11/2) in a battle of teams tied for the Peach Belt Conference lead. The Lakers would take a 1-0 lead and hold that until the opening minute of the second half before the teams would alternate scores to deadlock at 2-2 in the 57th minute. The second goal by FMU would come on a penalty kick which the defense at that point could do nothing to prevent.
 
Following that score Knight and the defense would settle back in and blank the Patriots for the next 50 minutes. That would allow Clayton State to take advantage of a double-overtime free kick by Ryan King that would curve into the top left corner of the net for an incredible 3-2 victory.
 
That win kept the Lakers tied for first place with No. 15 Young Harris and No. 25 Lander while running their record to 12-4 overall and 4-1 in the league.
 
THEO BLACHON (GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK)
Already established as one of the best keepers in the country, Blachon notched his eighth shutout of the season and delivered the biggest win for Clayton State in two years - in different games. Over the course of two games he went 2-0 with a 0.92 goals against average, .818 save percentage and nine saves.
 
He opened the week against North Greenville (10/29) and put forth an effort that has come to be expected from him as he made a pair of saves, directed the defense and picked up an 8-0 shutout victory.
 
The level of competition and what was on the line would increase exponentially in the final game of the week as the Lakers headed to No. 7 Francis Marion (11/2). A meeting of two of the best keepers in the nation and a battle of teams tied for first place in the Peach Belt Conference, that game would end up in an overtime thriller.
 
Clayton State would take a 1-0 lead and make it hold up until the first minute of the second half when the teams went back-and-forth to deadlock at 2-2. One of those scores allowed came off of one of the toughest plays for a keeper - a penalty kick.
 
After FMU tied the game for the last time on that PK in the 57th minute, Blachon would go into lock down mode as he refused to allow anything else. That would result in Clayton State being in position for Ryan King's double overtime heroics.
 
As of the November 3 release of NCAA Division II statistics, Blachon ranks highly in several categories. These include seventh in shutouts, 12^th in save percentage (.839) and 33^rd in goals against average (0.86). In terms of the PBC, he is first in save percentage and saves (73), second in GAA (0.86) and third in total goals allowed (14). The latter is two more games than the leader and three more than second place.
 
CLAYTON STATE MEN'S SOCCER PBC AWARD HISTORY
Since joining the Peach Belt in 1995 as a provisional member, the Lakers have been a staple in the league's weekly awards, claiming at least one winner in 20 of those years, including 19 of the past 20 years.
 
Ryan King now holds the all-time mark for Player of the Week with four selections while Knight has taken over the top spot for Defender of the Week honors with four, all this year. Blachon leads all-time with four Goalkeeper of the Week recognitions.
 
Overall the program has claimed a total of 63 weekly honorees from Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week and Goalkeeper of the Week. In 2007, the Peach Belt went from recognizing just one individual to honoring two per week and eventually three award winners beginning in 2008.
 
Clayton State (12-4) returns to action on Wednesday, November 6 when they travel to No. 25 Lander (10-3-2, 4-1-0 PBC) in a massive battle for PBC supremacy. Game time is set for primetime at 7 p.m. under the lights in Greenwood, South Carolina.
 
All-Time Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week Selections (27/20 Individuals)
2019
11/2 – Ryan King
9/30 – Jack Stevens
9/16 – Ryan King
9/9 – Ryan King

2017
10/16 – Dionysius Harmon
10/23 – Dean Foster
 
2016
10/31 – Ryan King
 
2015
9/8 – Iain Smith
9/28 – Avery Shepard
 
2013
9/23 - Alhagi Toure
9/30 - Kevin Rodriguez
 
2011
10/4 - Kenny Mena
 
2010
9/28 - Ryan Pugh
10/12 - Ryan Pugh
 
2009
9/15 - Leighton Fredericks
 
2008
9/16 - Leighton Fredericks
9/23 - Leighton Fredericks
 
2007
10/9 - Jamal Geathers
 
2006
10/17 - Kevin Crooks
 
2005
11/1 - Alex Dowling
 
2004
10/11 - Juan Trujillo
 
2003
9/22 - Shaun Baddock
 
2002
9/16 - Warren van der Westhuizen
10/28 - David Dowling
 
2001
10/29 - Warren van der Westhuizen
 
2000
9/5 - Barry Casebeer
 
1995
10/16 - Jason Nidiffer
 
All-Time Peach Belt Conference Defender of the Week Selections (21/13 Individuals)
(Awarded Since 2007)
2019
11/2 – Jordan Knight
9/30 – Jordan Knight
9/16 – Jordan Knight
9/9 – Jordan Knight

2015
10/19 – Aleksi Tuominen

2013
9/16 – Nikola Gazibara

2012
9/4 – Donal Roughneen

2011
9/7 – Chris Klute

2010
9/14 – Igor Lukic
10/5 – Brett Neilson
10/12 – Brett Neilson
10/19 – Igor Lukic
11/2 – Brett Neilson

2009
9/1 – Roger Boniface
10/13 – Liam Brown
10/27 – Igor Lukic

2008
9/23 – Matthias Faublas
9/30 – Liam Brown
10/21 – Patrick Ahern

2007
9/5 – Karl Haggon
10/23 – Alex Sethi
 
All-Time Peach Belt Conference Goalkeeper of the Week Selections (15/6 Individuals)
(Awarded Since 2008)
2019
11/2 – Theo Blachon
10/21 – Theo Blachon
9/30 – Theo Blachon
9/16 – Theo Blachon

2017
10/23 – Oliver Pannell
 
2015
9/28 – Viltsu Tuumi
10/5 – Viltsu Tuumi
 
2014
9/15 – Nick Punter
9/22 – Nick Punter
 
2011
9/7 – Brian Garcia
 
2010
9/21 – Brian Garcia
10/12 – Brian Garcia
 
2009
9/1 – David Cristofoli
10/6 – David Cristofoli
 
2008
10/14 – David Cristofoli