DAHLONEGA – Behind a dominant offensive showing and a brace from
Jorge Sandoval, the No. 20 University of North Georgia men's soccer team surged past visiting Clayton State, 4-1, Wednesday evening at the UNG Soccer Complex to extend its Peach Belt Conference lead to 22 points.
With their fifth consecutive win, the Nighthawks improve to 8-3-4 overall and 7-1-1 in the PBC, strengthening their position at the top of the league table with three matches remaining in the regular season.
Clayton State (6-6-3, 4-4-1) struck first in the 29th minute when Fabian Wagner finished a chance from close range to give the Lakers an early 1-0 lead. The advantage, however, was short-lived. Just seven minutes later, North Georgia responded with the equalizer as Sandoval buried a low strike into the corner off a perfectly placed ball from
Isaac Calderon, leveling the score at 1-1.
The Nighthawks' pressure continued to mount before halftime, and the breakthrough came again in the 43rd minute when
Will Bentley redirected a cross from
Max Garnett to give North Georgia a 2-1 lead heading into the locker room. The assist marked Garnett's second of the season, while Bentley recorded his third goal of the year.
Carrying momentum into the second half, the Nighthawks continued to control possession and create quality chances. Sandoval extended the margin to 3-1 in the 69th minute, capitalizing on a loose ball in the box for his team-leading sixth goal of the season and second multi-goal performance of the year.
North Georgia sealed the result in the 84th minute when
Tyler Vitelli found the back of the net on a composed finish, his fourth goal of the campaign, as the Nighthawks' balanced attack proved too much for the Lakers.
In goal,
Aleksa Lukic was steady throughout the evening, making six saves to keep Clayton State at bay and earn his fifth win of the season.
The victory improves North Georgia's record to 4-0-3 at home this season.
North Georgia will now turn its attention to a key Peach Belt matchup on Saturday when the Nighthawks host Middle Georgia at 5:00 p.m. for Senior Day.
