AIKEN, S.C. - The Lander Men's Soccer team used an early goal from Christian Hatley (Nottingham, England) and two second half goals to pull away from the USC Aiken Pacers on Wednesday night at Pacer Pit by a 3-0 scoreline.

The Bearcats, now 6-4-4 on the season and 5-1-2 in conference play, now currently sit one point out of the top spot in the Peach Belt after Clayton State fell earlier in the evening. The Pacers dropped to 2-6-1 on the year and 2-4-0 in conference play.

The win marked Lander's 12th straight win over their in-state rivals and fifth shutout during that stretch. The 12-match win streak is Lander's second longest active winning streak over an opponent, only trailing the 13-match winning streak over North Greenville.

The Blue and Gold would crack the scoreboard on the first shot of the game as Hatley would volley a Charlie Bushby (Vigo, Spain) cross to himself and deposited a shot into the back of the net for his eighth goal of the year to give Lander a 1-0 lead under ten minutes into the contest.

USC Aiken started to find some footing thereafter as they recorded 13 shots during the game but none of which were on frame to challenge Juan Rodriguez (Nebo, N.C.) as he was credited with his third shutout of the season.

The game went into halftime with the 1-0 scoreline and after the break the Pacers would weather a series of Lander shots before a Jonah Miller (Charleston, S.C.) pass found Bushby who slotted home his second goal of the season to double the Blue and Gold's lead.

Aiken would try to get back into the game but the Lander defense only allowed one more shot after the Bushby goal and Grant Wagner (Irmo, S.C.) added an insurance goal with just under five minutes left to give Lander the 3-0 win.

The Bearcats hit the road one final time in the regular season this weekend as they travel to Georgia Southwestern for a 7:00 PM kickoff. The Blue and Gold will conclude the regular season at home on Wednesday against North Georgia for Senior Day at 5:00 PM.