GREENWOOD, S.C. – A bevy of scoring opportunities by both teams throughout the night would result only in a 79^th minute goal as Clayton State (12-5-0, 4-2-0 PBC) dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 decision at No. 21 Lander (11-3-2, 5-1-0 PBC) in an NCAA Division II men's soccer game on Wednesday, November 6.
 
Both teams would deliver point blank attempts throughout the game but particularly in the second half. The most dangerous one of those came off the foot of Robbie Young in the 63^rd minute as he charged in on the keeper and beat him over the top only to see his shot skid off the top of the cross bar.
 
Shots would be at a premium in the second half as the teams combined for just seven. Young would have two of those, putting the other on net at 50:34 while redshirt-senior midfielder Ryan King (County Durham, England) drilled one point blank to LU keeper Jacob Withers at 68:36.
 
All of that would lead up to the Bearcats taking advantage of a hard charge to the offensive end by Harry Bircumshaw in the 79^th minute. He would find Max Bolton on the left wing where he would crash in and zip the ball to the back right corner, hard and on the ground, for a 1-0 lead.
 
Following that score, the Lakers would pick up a corner kick in the 84^th minute but would not be able to capitalize. King would get a near breakaway at 85:49 as he bolted down the right side of midfield and angled to the right. That move drew the keeper out but King's shot would be blocked on the ground by a tremendous effort by Withers. From there, Lander closed out the 1-0 victory.
 
Bolton's goal and the assist by Bircumshaw comprised the entirety of the Bearcat offense in what was a defensive battle. Headlining that effort was Withers with five saves over the full 90 minutes as he collected the shutout and moved to 11-3-2.
 
Clayton State managed 11 shots on the night with five of those on frame, an effort that was dominated by King with five shots and four of them on goal. Redshirt-freshman midfielder Olavo Guimaraes (Sao Paulo, Brazil) had the only other shot on net among his two attempts on the night.
 
Junior goalkeeper Theo Blachon (St. Etienne, France) played all 90 minutes and produced another impressive outing, allowing just the one goal while being credited with only one save. He falls to 12-5 on the season.
 
The loss, combined with a 1-0 win by No. 9 Young Harris in the final four seconds of overtime against North Georgia, almost assuredly puts the Lakers in line to host a home PBC Quarterfinal on Tuesday, November 12. With all teams having just one game remaining, YHC and Lander lead the league with 15 points and each has a tiebreak over Clayton State, which is tied with Francis Marion at 12 points.
 
The Lakers conclude the regular season on Saturday, November 9 when they take on USC Aiken on Senior Day. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. at Laker Field.