MORROW, Ga. — The Georgia Southwestern State University men's soccer season ended in heartbreak Saturday afternoon, as the Hurricanes fell 2-1 in double overtime to Clayton State University in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Laker Field.
It marked the first postseason meeting between the two programs, and true to their history, the matchup delivered another tense finish. It was the fifth time in 27 all-time meetings that the two sides have gone to extra time to decide a winner, with the regular-season finale last weekend ending in a draw in full time.
After a scoreless opening half, the match was halted in the 66th minute due to a lightning delay that lasted nearly an hour. When play resumed, Clayton State quickly capitalized on the reset, taking a 1-0 lead in the 70th minute on a goal from Andree Jimenez, assisted by Sonny Simpson.
The Hurricanes battled back, maintaining heavy offensive pressure until the final minutes. Their persistence paid off in the 89th when Anwar Benkandil buried his first goal of the season off an assist from Jonathan Bedard, sending the match to extra time.
Neither side found the winner in the first overtime period, but in the 107th minute, Clayton State sealed the result as Miguel Torrecillas scored from close range off a feed from Gonzalo LaChica.
The Hurricanes outshot the Lakers 19-16 and held an 11-6 advantage in corner kicks, continuing their season-long trend of attacking pressure. Goalkeeper Nathan Grady tallied seven saves to keep GSW in the contest.
Georgia Southwestern wraps up the 2025 campaign at 4-7-5 overall and 3-5-4 in Peach Belt play, matching the program record for most ties overall in a season and recording the second-highest conference win total in school history. The Hurricanes also finish with a result in three of their final four matches.
