MORROW, Ga. – The Clayton State University men's soccer team hosted the Knights of Middle Georgia in the Quarterfinals of the 2026 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Tournament at Laker Field on Saturday afternoon. The Lakers scored the most goals in a postseason match in program history shutting out Middle Georgia, 6-0.
The Lakers brought the pressure as they held the ball in 64% of the first half. They also only allowed one Middle Georgia shot the entire half.
Arttu Leivonen brought the immediate pressure as he launched a shot in the third minute and that was only the beginning. After
Miguel Goncalves and
Eric Cruz sent in good opportunities, the Lakers jumped on the scoreboard. In the 27
th minute,
Adrian Gallegos sent in a shot that was saved by the Knight keeper and
Joao Amaral cleaned up the mess and found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
The Lakers were not done as they added another goal before the halftime break. In the 41
st minute, Cruz sent in a beautiful ball, and he threaded the ball into the middle of the box and found
Fallah Johnson and knocked in his fourth goal of the season. The Lakers took a 2-0 lead going into the halftime break.
Halftime: #3 Clayton State 2, #6 Middle Georgia 0
The Lakers carried the momentum from the first half into the second half. In the 48
th minute,
Fabian Wagner was streaking into the box from the far side and scored his first goal of the match. The Lakers took a 3-0 lead. Clayton State was not done yet. In the 50
th minute, PBC Freshman of the Year
Arttu Leivonen knocked in his ninth goal of the season off one-touch passes from Cruz and Wagner. The Lakers pulled out to a 4-0 lead. The Lakers kept up the offensive intensity. Clayton State scored a pair of goals within two minutes. In the 57
th minute,
Camilo Velez found an open net and Wagner netted his second goal of the match. Overall, the Lakers led, 6-0.
The Lakers pulled out their biggest postseason win in program history winning the match, 6-0.
QUICK HITS
- Wagner scores a pair of goals while Velez, Leivonen, Johnson, and Amaral all knocked in one.
- Cruz notched a pair of assists while Gallegos, Wagner, and Leivonen assisted on one goal.
- The Lakers outshot the Knights, 21-7 and 15-1 on net.
- Kalle Kuisma made one save and pitched his third shutout of the season.
- Six goals scored are the most goals scored in the PBC Tournament in program history and the most goals scored since 2009.
- The Lakers advanced to their ninth streak PBC Tournament Semifinal match, dating back to 2017.
WHAT'S NEXT?
With the win, the Lakers (7-4-7) advance to play the winner of North Georgia and Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday, November 4
th in the PBC Tournament Semifinals. Please visit claytonstatesports.com for more information as the date gets closer.
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