AUGUSTA, Ga. – After seeing nine years go by without sweeping the Peach Belt Conference weekly awards, Clayton State men's soccer has now done it twice in a three week span, equaling the single season league record as announced by the league on Monday, September 30. It is the third time in program history they have achieved that.
 
It would be a couple of familiar faces among that group of three as senior defender Jordan Knight (Javea, Spain) collected his third Defender of the Week honor of the season while junior Theo Blachon (St. Etienne, France) picked up his second Goalkeeper of the Week honor of the year. Joining the party for the first time in his career was sophomore midfielder Jack Stevens (Brisbane, Australia) with Player of the Week recognition.
 
Since the league began naming three awards in 2008, it is only the eighth time in that 11 year span that any PBC men's soccer program has swept the awards. Three of those now belong to the Lakers, including a league record tying two 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 Ryan King (Offensive), Blachon (Goalkeeper) and Knight (Defender) matched that performance on September 16 of this year.
 
Young Harris holds 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. Clayton State has now equaled YHC's two sweeps during the 2017 season and is one from tying them for the all-time mark.
 
Individually, Knight equals the program record with his third career Defender of the Week honor, matching Neilson and Igor Lukic. On top of that he joins Neilson (Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Nov. 2) as the only Laker to accomplish the feat in a single season but is the first to get them all in one month. Neilson's all came during the record-setting 2010 campaign that ended up in the Elite Eight.
 
For Blachon, it marks the fifth time that Clayton State has had a keeper earn the award twice in a season. He joins David Cristofoli (2009), Brian Garcia (2010), Nick Punter (2014) and Viltsu Tuumi (2015). He is now one shy of equaling the program record of three such honors held by Garcia and Cristofoli.
 
Stevens claiming Offensive Player of the Week makes it three honors this season for the Lakers. Not only is that a season record, surpassing the six other times it has occurred, they also all came in just one month. Knight's three Defender of the Week recognitions is the only other time the latter has occurred for a single award.
 
On the season, Clayton State has now claimed eight of the possible 12 PBC weekly honors. That is one shy of the program record of nine earned by the 2010 team and has already surpassed the six claimed in 2008 and the five such honors during the 2009 and 2015 seasons.
 
JACK STEVENS (OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK)
Stevens may have played just one game this past week but he made it count.
 
Taking on the highest scoring team in the country in Shorter (9/24), on the road no less, Stevens erupted for a career-best game.
 
He would score the first two goals in an impressive 5-0 victory, and for good measure, would assist on the third. That performance marked career-highs in goals and points and equaled his career best for assists in a game.
 
JORDAN KNIGHT (DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK)
Knight continues to lead a strong defense as his unit allowed just two goals in 180 minutes this past week - all of which he was on the field for.
 
The week began with something that doesn't happen all the time as Knight and the Lakers shutout the No. 1 scoring team in NCAA Division II. That feat would come on the road as they blanked Shorter (9/24) by a 5-0 score while holding them to only five shots and just two of those on goal.
 
The Hawks came in averaging 5.75 goals per game and leading the country in total goals (23) and points per game (15.75). They were also second in both assists per game (4.25), total assists (17) and total points (63) - and got none of the above against a stout Laker defense led by Knight.
 
That defense would be strong again at Auburn-Montgomery (9/28) but would not benefit from any offense in a 2-0 road defeat. In that game Knight would log his second 90 minute outing.
 
THEO BLACHON (GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK)
Blachon (St. Etienne, France) accomplished a rare feat and at the same time showed he is human in a pair of games this past week. In 180 minutes he notched his fifth shutout of the season to tie for the national lead and finished with a 1.00 goals against average and .778 save percentage.
 
One of the nation's best keepers was on display against NCAA Division II's top scoring team when Clayton State traveled to Shorter (9/24).
 
For all their lofty offensive numbers we've already touched on, the Hawks would get nothing and like it. In 90 minutes Blachon shut them down with a 5-0 blanking for his fifth clean sheet of the season.
 
In the capper for the week the 6-6 keeper would surrender as many goals to Auburn-Montgomery (9/28) as he had all year in a 2-0 road loss. A pair of first half goals by the Warhawks' Thomas Carlile would prove to be his kryptonite yet it would end up looking like what an ordinary game for most keepers would be. In short, it doesn't happen to him often. He would be perfect after the 34 minute mark as he finished with five saves.
 
As of the September 26 NCAA Statistical Ranking Summary, Blachon was tied for first in the country with five shutouts, was fourth in goals against average (0.28) and fifth in save percentage (.929) and fifth in goalie minutes played (634.05).
 
In terms of the Peach Belt Conference, he leads in saves (31), second in save percentage (.886) and goals against average (0.50) and third in goals allowed (4). The latter has come in eight games while the league leader has played only five and second place six.
 
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.
 
Leighton Fredericks holds the all-time mark for Player of the Week with three selections while Knight, Brett Neilson and Igor Lukic are tied for the Defender of the Week honor with three apiece. David Cristofoli and Brian Garcia each collected three Goalkeeper of the Week recognitions.
 
Overall the program has claimed a total of 59 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 (6-2) returns to action on Saturday, October 5 when they travel to Georgia Southwestern to open PBC play. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. in Americus, Georgia.
 
All-Time Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week Selections (26/20 Individuals)
2019
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 (20/13 Individuals)
(Awarded Since 2007)
2019
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 (13/6 Individuals)
(Awarded Since 2008)
2019
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