MORROW, Ga. - The Flagler College men's soccer team tied Clayton State University, 1-1, Saturday afternoon in a Peach Belt Conference match.
 
"The mentality within this group is changing which is great to see," said interim head coach Thomas Coombes. "We are disappointed not to win games now as we have set that expectation for ourselves regardless of the opponent." 
 
The Saints (5-3-3, 4-2-2) took seven shots to the Laker's four in the first half, but both teams could not get on the board in the first 45 minutes. Marc Birkelund gave Flagler a 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute after he scored on a penalty kick.
 
Clayton State (6-4-3, 5-3-1) answered back in the 74th minute when Felix Nichols scored on a short corner inside the box knotting the game at 1-1. The Lakers took three shots in the last 12 minutes, but Tirso Trueba came up with two saves to seal the 1-1 final score.
 
"To see the players frustrated that they didn't get all three points on the road against a strong Clayton State team is something I view to be extremely positive," Coombes added. "On another day we would have gotten the result we wanted, but as always I can't fault the effort or attitude of the team as they gave everything in a very tough game."
 
Flagler had the advantage in shots (12-9) and corner kicks (7-5) but the teams were even in shots on goal (5-5). Both goalkeepers made four stops in the net.  
 
The Saints travel to the University of South Carolina Aiken for a mid-week road match Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 4 p.m.

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