ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The first time the Flagler College and Clayton State University men's soccer teams met this season, it was one that got away from the Saints.
On Saturday night,
Jared Fuentes made sure the future didn't repeat itself in a crucial Peach Belt Conference match. The sophomore used a brilliant shot from away outside to score the 68th-minute game winner, while
Andrea Lubbia locked down the net to secure Flagler's 2-1 victory over the Lakers at Saints Field.
"Great battle between two very good teams," Flagler head coach
Chris Kranjc. "We defended very well tonight. Andrea made some great saves and there was a fantastic goal by
Jared Fuentes for the game winner, where he got into a little space and scored an absolute screamer."
Fuentes' goal was his second of the season, where he took the ball on the right side —via
Matteo Costa's second assist — and let it rip from 18 yards out. It was the third and final goal of the second half as well as the third score over 11 minutes. The match's first score was thanks to a
Max Lambertz header that came from a perfectly-placed
Joeran Osland cornerkick at the 57th-minute mark.
Three minutes later, Clayton State knotted the score as Alexis Iturria did it himself with a dribble-and-go and shot into the right corner. Then in the 68th minute, it was Fuentes taking one of the Saints' 19 shots, with this one being right on the money. In all, Clayton State (6-6-2, 5-3-1 PBC) had four more shot (23) than Flagler (6-6-0, 4-4-0) and both teams had 10 shots on goal.
The unhung heroes were the goalkeepers. The Lakers' Theo Blachon had eight saves to keep his squad in it, while Lubbia swatted away nine to help earn the Saints three conference points.
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