The 2018-19 regular season has come to an end, and although the Lakers have had a rough one, there was still a light shining through at the end of the tunnel. With squinted eyes the Clayton State Lakers (4-10-2, 3-5-0 PBC) are headed to the Peach Belt Conference quarterfinals to face No. 3 North Georgia Nighthawks (7-6-1, 4-3-0 PBC)
This victory for the Lakers did not come without a challenge. On October 27 the Lakers went head to head with University of South Carolina-Aiken’s Pacers (3-7-2, 0-5-2 PBC) I am sure the Pacers lived up to their name and paced themselves this game, but the Lakers were too hungry to let this one go.
Although both teams were ready to battle this one out, the first half of the game was taxing for both teams but also scoreless. The pacers came ready to race with their sophomore goal keeper Alejandro Chavarria who saved two shots. The first came in the second minute and the next in the eleventh minute. This type of game heroics kept the Lakers goalless and frustrated.
This frustration didn’t last long, the Lakers made noise with a score from no.10 sophomore midfielder Mitro Turunen at the 51:59 mark. The score was a result of an attempt shot from no. 17 sensational senior defender Kwaku Dwamena, whose shot was blocked but recovered by Mitro with a goal. The final 45 minutes were filled with four goal attempts from the Lakers and seven attempts from the Pacers.
The Lakers were able to sideline the Pacers for a 1-0 victory to improve to the PBC Quarterfinals. Although the Lakers won this game, I must give the best game performance to the Pacers GK Alejandro Chavarria. Chavarria played all 90 minutes of the game and surrendered one out of 10 shot attempts, five of which were on goal.
With this win the Lakers are on their way to the quarterfinals hosted at North Georgia. The Nighthawks have had a satisfactory season, with a 7-6-1 record they come into today’s game (October 30) being the favorite to win. Stellar players like No.12 Junior forward Eren Ozar who is the leading scorer with six goals and 3 assist this season, will give the Lakers a run for their money.
Game Necessities: The Lakers will have to provide a strong performance the whole 90 minutes. Lead scorers Kwaku Dwamena and Brad Kay will have to step up to the plate and make plays that will not only put them in a position to score but also their fellow teammates. The team win is the most important.
