PEMBROKE – Sophomore Sam Miles changed the atmosphere of the match after he scored the only goal of the game for the UNCP men's soccer team to capture the 1-0 shutout victory over Peach Belt Conference foe Clayton State on Saturday evening at Varsity Grounds.

Miles entered into Clayton State (3-4-0, 0-2-0 PBC) territory with only one defender in range, and with a pass from the right side by Matt MacDougall, Miles dribbled past the defender into the top of the box and propelled the ball past netminder Matt Sutton at the 76:23 mark. 

"It was a good time to score because there wasn't much time left in the game," said UNCP head coach Phil Hindson. 

UNCP (6-1-0, 2-1-0) and Clayton State battled in the first half and entered halftime scoreless as each squad left the other wanting for the go-ahead goal. After the goal, the Braves continued with controlled and focused defense until the final buzzer.

"We had a very good response from the guys which was the most important thing because we had the disappointment of last week. Clayton State is always a difficult team to play against and the guys worked very hard for that victory," said Hindson.

The Black and Gold managed only three shots on goal compared to Clayton State's eight. In total, the Lakers outshot UNCP 19-13 and collected only 15 fouls compared to UNCP's 17. The Lakers registered three yellow cards, while UNCP added two.

Miles led the Black and Gold with six shots, while Martin Tomter and Sean Hoek combined for five.

Junior goalkeeper Ryan Hanson posted a season-high eight saves in his 90 minutes between the posts with four saves collected in each half.

Ado Junuzovic attempted five shots for the Lakes, while Sutton grabbed two saves in his time in goal.

UNCP will continue with its home stand when the squad hosts Barton (2-4-1) in a 7:30 p.m. matchup at Varsity Grounds on Wednesday.

To watch the full game clickPART 1 or PART 2.