AMERICUS, Ga. – Georgia Southwestern State University generated several opportunities in the second half Wednesday night, but an early two-goal deficit proved too much to overcome in a 3-1 Peach Belt Conference loss to Clayton State University at Hurricane Field.
Clayton State (5-2-3, 3-1-1 PBC) scored twice in the opening 34 minutes before adding a third goal late in the second half.
Juan Franco put the Hurricanes (2-6-2, 0-4-2 PBC) on the board off a free kick with 23 seconds remaining.
The Lakers opened the scoring at 17:14 when Joao Amaral connected with Fabian Wagner for a 1-0 advantage.
GSW nearly responded immediately.
Theo Hoang put an attempt toward the bottom-left corner just 22 seconds after the goal, forcing a save from Clayton State goalkeeper Kalle Kuisma.
Arttu Leivonen doubled the Lakers' lead in the 34th minute, converting another assist from Amaral to make it 2-0.
The Hurricanes continued to search for a response before halftime.
Jose Monteagudo put an attempt on frame in the 40th minute, but Kuisma made the save to send Clayton State into the break with a two-goal advantage.
GSW came out aggressively in the second half and forced Kuisma into a pair of early saves.
Mac Vargas put a shot on goal in the 48th minute before
Dante Johnson tested the Clayton State goalkeeper six minutes later.
The Hurricanes continued to create opportunities as the half progressed. GSW earned four corner kicks over the opening 20 minutes after halftime and outshot the Lakers 4-3 during that stretch.
Clayton State threatened at the other end, but
Nathan Grady made saves on attempts from Amaral and Adrian Lopez before the GSW defense turned away another shot from Adrian Gallegos in the 71st minute.
GSW made another push over the final 10 minutes. Monteagudo forced a save from Kuisma in the 81st minute before Hoang put another attempt on frame two minutes later, but the Hurricanes were unable to cut into the deficit.
The Lakers put the match out of reach at 88:38 when Leivonen connected on a feed from
Lucas Schofield for his second goal of the night and a 3-0 advantage.
GSW answered in the closing seconds. After Clayton State committed a foul near the top of the 18-yard box, Franco converted the ensuing free kick at 89:37 to account for the final margin.
The goal was Franco's first of the season.
Clayton State finished with a 13-11 advantage in shots, while GSW put seven of its 11 attempts on goal. The Hurricanes matched the Lakers with six corner kicks and held a 7-4 advantage in corners after halftime.
Kuisma made six saves for Clayton State. Grady finished with four saves for GSW, while Hoang and Monteagudo each put both of their attempts on goal.
Wednesday's result marked Clayton State's fifth consecutive victory over GSW at Hurricane Field.
Next Up
The Hurricanes continue Peach Belt Conference play Saturday when they host Lander University at 7 p.m. as part of a GSW soccer doubleheader. The ladies open at 5 p.m. against USC Beaufort.
