PEMBROKE – From the opening goal of the game by Rico Laitinen at the 2:15 mark, the UNC Pembroke men's soccer team controlled the pace of the contest with nationally-ranked Lander and included an additional two scores in the second half to snap a three-game losing skid with a 3-0 blanking of the Bearcats on Wednesday evening at Varsity Grounds in Peach Belt Conference action.

The victory marked the biggest win in school history from a rankings standpoint as the Braves (6-4-0, 3-3-0 PBC) had not recorded a win over a team nationally-ranked in the top-three. UNCP claimed its first victory since a 1-0 road win over Montevallo on September 21, while also helping the Black and Gold collect its third league win. The Braves served then-undefeated Lander (6-1-1, 3-1-0) its first loss of the season with the 3-0 landslide.

Laitinen connected on a set play beginning with a corner kick in the third minute on the assists by Payne Clark and Sam Miles for a shot to the lower left corner of the goal inside the box, which put the Black and Gold ahead for the remainder of the game and send the squad into halftime with the 1-0 lead.

At the start of the 65th minute, Miles registered his third goal of the season on the long cross pass by Laitinen and Reece Rooney for a shot inside the box to the lower left corner past disoriented netminder Barrett Nielsen. Nearly 13 minutes later, Clark seized the final goal of the contest with a header near the right post off a cross pass from Miles at the 77:50 mark to crush the hopes of the Bearcats for a comeback.

"This was an unbelievable effort from every guy tonight from the starters and the subs," said UNCP head coach Phil Hindson. "The guys gave such incredible effort and I couldn't we more proud of the way they played. We have dealt with some adversity during the season and in the game, but we were waiting for this win. We challenged the desire and the enthusiasm of the guys and we got that from everyone." 

The Bearcats logged an 8-4 shot advantage after the first half and registered 12 additional shots in the second half compared to UNCP's five. Senior Ryan Hanson grabbed two saves through his 90 minutes in goal and posted his fifth shutout – a league best in the category - of the season, while Nielson logged three saves and suffered his first loss between the posts this season. 

The defensive effort by Clayton Gannaway, Sid Peterson, James Casserly and Jeff MacDonald denied the offensive charge by the Bearcats and blocked seven attempts at scoring to play a factor in the shutout. The final 20 minutes of the contest brought about a quicker paced play by Lander with the Braves' defense unwavering in their protection of the UNCP goal.

An aggressive game brought about 25 fouls as Lander was called for 13 fouls, and the Bearcats served out five corner kicks compared to UNCP's three set plays all coming in the first 45 minutes of action.

Miles charted four of the Braves' nine total shots, while Lander registered five shots each from Clement Dauchy and Devin Durand, while Chris Hobbs contributed four to the cause. 

The Braves will take the weekend to rest up before heading to Anderson (8-2-1) for regional competition on Wednesday at Trojan Stadium in Anderson, S.C.

To watch the game click HERE.