GREENWOOD - The Lander men's soccer team returns to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2019 when they go up against Clayton State on November 12.
 
QUICK HITTERS
Location: Evans, Ga. (Blanchard Woods Park)
Time: 2 pm
Lander's Record:11-7-0, 7-5-0 PBC
Clayton State's Record: 8-7-2, 7-4-1 PBC
First Met: Sept. 20, 1997 (11-1 Lander)
Last Met: Oct. 20, 2021 (3-2 Clayton State)
Last Five Against Clayton State: 4-1-0
Who's Next: No. 1 Young Harris/ Flagler
 
STORYLINES

• The Bearcats are back in the PBC Tournament semifinals after defeating North Georgia 4-0 in the quarterfinals.
• Jed Smith, Jonah Miller, Max Landau and Marco Gueli all contributed to the scoring cause.
• The last time Lander was in the semifinals was in 2019 when it went up against Clayton State. The Bearcats were victorious, winning 3-1. Max McNulty scored all three goals for the Bearcats.
• After the win against North Georgia, the Bearcats are now 4-0 when scoring four goals against an opponent. They are also 8-0 when scoring at least three goals in a match. When scoring under three goals, Lander is 3-7 on the season.
• Still led by Tom Marriott and McNulty in goals scored, the Bearcats have seen other options for goal scoring throughout the season, with 10 players recording a goal.
• Lander had also seen 17 players record a point this season.
• Marriott and McNulty were recently named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District® Men's Soccer Team on Thursday.
• Thursday also saw Marriott named PBC Player of The Year for the second consecutive season.
• McNulty joined Marriott on the PBC first team while Gueli and Kevin Rubaszewski were named to the PBC second team.
• Since taking over in net, Jacob Withers has helped shore up the defense. He holds a GAA of 1.08 while making 24 saves and holds a 6-2-0 record with four shutouts.
• Lander is second to only Young Harris for goals scored among PBC teams. Lander had 46 while Young Harris has scored 47.
• Marriott is currently second among PBC scorers with 16. Matteo Costa leads the PBC with 18. Costa is also third in NCAA Div. II while Marriott is tied for sixth in total goals.
• Marriott is only second to Geo Rios in assists in the PBC. Rios currently has 11 while Marriott has 10. Both Marriott and Rios are in the top-10 in Div. II. Rios is seventh while Marriott is eighth.
• As a team, the Bearcats are nationally ranked in the top-20 in assists per game (10^th), points per game (12^th),  shots on goal per game (19^th), total assists (7^th), total goals (11^th), total points (10^th)
• While leading the PBC in points with 42, Marriott is currently fourth in Div. II.
• Lander has made the PBC semifinals in every season under the direction of head coach Lee Squires.
• In postseason action (PBC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament) Squires is 10-6-6 as the head coach of the Bearcats.
• Lander will be looking to make its 18th appearance in the PBC Tournament Championship with a win over Clayton State. The Bearcats have made appearances in 1991,93,94,95,96,97,01,02,06,07,08,09,15,16,17,18, and 2019.
• The Bearcats have currently appeared in 56.6% of all PBC Tournament Championship games played.
• Withers is one shutout away from tying the program record for career shutouts. Jukka Masalin set the record with 28 career shutouts.
• The other side of the bracket features Young Harris taking on Flagler. The Mountain Lions went 15-0-1 overall and 11-0-1 in the PBC this year. With the No.1 seed in the tournament, Young Harris received an auto bye to the semifinals.
• Flagler went 7-5 in conference action and was the No. 4 seed in the tournament. The Saints recently defeated Georgia Southwestern 3-0 last Sunday.
• The last time Lander and Clayton State played this season, the Lakers got the better of the Bearcats. Clayton State held a 3-0 lead before the Bearcats scored two quick goals in the 66th and 67th minute of action to make it a one-goal game. Unfortunately for the Bearcats, they could not score the tying goal.
• Marriott and McNulty were the goal scorers for Lander.
• With the win, the Lakers earned their first win over Lander since 2014.
• Lander and Clayton State split the season series 1-1, with Lander winning the first game 4-0 at home.
• Along with Young Harris, Clayton State also received a bye into the semifinals. The Lakers last played on October 30 when they lost to Young Harris 5-1.
• Langston Blackstock has a team-high 10 goals and is fifth in the conference with 24 points for the Lakers. 
• Rios leads the team and conference with 11 assists and is tied for seventh in the PBC with 21 points. 
• Alexis Iturria is third on the team with 20 points off eight goals and four assists.
• Theo Blachon has played in all 17 games for the Lakers. He's made 73 saves while allowing 33 goals. He holds a 1.86 GAA and an 8-7-2 record along with three shutouts.

 
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