The PBC Men's Soccer Tournament began in exciting fashion, including two six-goal games followed by an overtime thriller to close out the action. #1 Flagler will host #4 USCA and #2 North Georgia will host #3 Clayton State in the PBC Tournament semifinals on Wednesday evening.
#2 North Georgia 2-1 #7 Georgia Southwestern
Kawata Lifts North Georgia Past Georgia Southwestern 2-1 in Double Overtime?
Rafael Kawata scored in the108th minute to give North Georgia (12-2-5) a 2-1 double-overtime victory over Georgia Southwestern (3-10-5) in the Peach Belt Conference men's soccer tournament first round on Saturday evening, at UNG Soccer Complex in Dahlonega, Georgia. Kawata's unassisted winner came on the third shot of the match for the North Georgia midfielder.
The teams finished a scoreless first half with three shots apiece. Georgia Southwestern goalkeeper Nathan Grady denied Kawata at 23:47 and Bryan Benoit at 43:38. At the other end, Aleksa Lukic stopped Theo Hoang at 28:44 before a North Georgia team save kept out another Hoang attempt at 30:02.
Georgia Southwestern broke through shortly after halftime when Ryan Burns scored at 47:52 off an assist from Dante Johnson. North Georgia answered less than 10 minutes later, with Maxwell Mitchell scoring an unassisted equalizer at 57:42. Burns and Mitchell each converted their only shot of the match.
Both goalkeepers made key stops to keep the score level through regulation. Grady saved Isaac Calderon's attempt at 71:07 and denied Rhys Shirley at 76:00. Lukic then turned away Johnson at 82:37 and Kimoni Mills at 84:28, preventing Georgia Southwestern from reclaiming the lead late in the second half.
North Georgia took both shots in the first overtime, but Grady stopped Max Garnett's effort at 99:05 to extend the match. The hosts added two more shots in the second overtime before Kawata delivered the winner. Georgia Southwestern did not record a shot in either overtime.
North Georgia finished with advantages of 12-6 in shots, 8-5 in shots on goal and 7-2 in corner kicks. Calderon matched Kawata with three shots and two on target, while Hoang put both of Georgia Southwestern's two attempts on goal. Grady finished with six saves, and Lukic made three to go with North Georgia's team save.
The Nighthawks will host #3 Clayton State in the PBC Tournament semifinals on Wednesday with kickoff set for 7:30pm.
#3 Clayton State 6-0 #6 Middle Georgia
Men's Soccer Shutouts Middle Georgia, 6-0 in First Round of PBC Tournament
MORROW, Ga. – The Clayton State University men's soccer team hosted the Knights of Middle Georgia in the Quarterfinals of the 2026 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Tournament at Laker Field on Saturday afternoon. The Lakers scored the most goals in a postseason match in program history shutting out Middle Georgia, 6-0.
The Lakers brought the pressure as they held the ball in 64% of the first half. They also only allowed one Middle Georgia shot the entire half.
Arttu Leivonen brought the immediate pressure as he launched a shot in the third minute and that was only the beginning. After
Miguel Goncalvesand
Eric Cruz sent in good opportunities, the Lakers jumped on the scoreboard. In the 27
thminute,
Adrian Gallegos sent in a shot that was saved by the Knight keeper and
Joao Amaralcleaned up the mess and found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
The Lakers were not done as they added another goal before the halftime break. In the 41
stminute, Cruz sent in a beautiful ball, and he threaded the ball into the middle of the box and found
Fallah Johnson and knocked in his fourth goal of the season. The Lakers took a 2-0 lead going into the halftime break.
Halftime: #3 Clayton State 2, #6 Middle Georgia 0
The Lakers carried the momentum from the first half into the second half. In the 48
th minute,
Fabian Wagner was streaking into the box from the far side and scored his first goal of the match. The Lakers took a 3-0 lead. Clayton State was not done yet. In the 50
th minute, PBC Freshman of the Year
Arttu Leivonen knocked in his ninth goal of the season off one-touch passes from Cruz and Wagner. The Lakers pulled out to a 4-0 lead. The Lakers kept up the offensive intensity. Clayton State scored a pair of goals within two minutes. In the 57
th minute,
Camilo Velez found an open net and Wagner netted his second goal of the match. Overall, the Lakers led, 6-0.
The Lakers pulled out their biggest postseason win in program history winning the match, 6-0.
QUICK HITS
- Wagner scores a pair of goals while Velez, Leivonen, Johnson, and Amaral all knocked in one.
- Cruz notched a pair of assists while Gallegos, Wagner, and Leivonen assisted on one goal.
- The Lakers outshot the Knights, 21-7 and 15-1 on net.
- Kalle Kuisma made one save and pitched his third shutout of the season.
- Six goals scored are the most goals scored in the PBC Tournament in program history and the most goals scored since 2009.
- The Lakers advanced to their ninth streak PBC Tournament Semifinal match, dating back to 2017.
WHAT'S NEXT?
With the win, the Lakers (7-4-7) advance to play the winner of North Georgia and Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday, November 4
th in the PBC Tournament Semifinals. Please visit claytonstatesports.com for more information as the date gets closer.
#4 USCA 4-2 #5 Lander
Pacers Advance To PBC Semifinals With Win Over Bearcats
AIKEN, S.C. – The No. 4 USCA men's soccer team earned a hard-fought 4-2 win over Lander in the opening round of the PBC Tournament Saturday afternoon. The Pacers improve to 6-8-1 on the season.
Head coach
Nick Sakiewicz's team jumped on top of the Bearcats with a pair of goals within a three-minute span. Just past the midway point of the opening half,
Murilo Carli blasted a shot to the upper right of the frame for a 1-0 lead. USCA continued the momentum and scored to make it 2-0 in the 26
th minute.
Melvin Maboungou rocketed an attempt to the lower right of the frame for the two-goal advantage.
Sean Simoncelli kept the visitors off the board in the 27
th minute with a solid save.
Carlos Colomer tried to extend the advantage to 3-0, but his shot was thwarted by the keeper at the 36:44 mark. Simoncelli recorded another save late in the half as the contest stayed at 2-0 entering the second period.
Lander had a pair of attempts that were blocked in the opening minutes of the second half. Colomer's shot missed left in the 50
th minute.
The Bearcats cut the deficit to 2-1 with a goal at the 53:46 mark.
USCA extended the margin to a two-goal lead at the 83:37 mark.
Kenny Kwizera Jr., made a sensational pass to
Riad Zitouni, who promptly raced past a defender and hammered home the shot for a 3-1 lead.
The two-goal advantage was short-lived, however, as the Pacers were whistled for a foul in the box. The Bearcats made it 3-2 with a penalty kick at the 84:11 mark.
Sakiewicz's squad pushed forward, but
Aloni Elfu's shot was blocked in the 57
th minute of action. He had another shot at the 64:24 mark, but it was saved.
With just 19 seconds remaining, Kwizera Jr., found
Ayoub Ben Amar racing toward the box. He rocketed a shot to the lower left of the frame for the final score.
For the match, USCA held a 16-13 edge in shots, including 9-6 in shots on goal. The team earned four corner kicks.
Ben Amar, Carli, Maboungou and Zitouni recorded goals. Kwizera Jr., had a pair of assists. Simoncelli played all 90 minutes between the pipes and had four saves.
The win marked the program's first PBC Tournament victory since the 2014 season. That year, the Pacers reached the tournament championship.
USCA plays at No. 1 Flagler on Wednesday, Nov. 4 in the semifinals.