PBC Tournament - Lander, Ludewig Advance to Tournament Final 2-1 in Double OT

EVANS, GA – Andy Ludewig took a flick pass from Jamie Ramm and found the back of the net as Lander advanced to the PBC Championship game with a 2-1 double-overtime win over Clayton State in the semifinals on Friday. With that win, second-seeded Lander will face either Montevallo or Flagler on Sunday at 3:30.

Clayton State got on the board first with a goal from Brian Endres at the 22:58 mark. Kyle Timm made the most of a missed opportunity and put a ball in the top of the Lander box where Endres poked it home past LU keeper Matthew Atkinson.

The score remained 1-0 Lakers through halftime and Clayton State continued to apply pressure in the early minutes of the second half. But Lander countered in the 64th minute as Adam Arthur, the 2009 PBC Player of the Year, flicked a ball to Aaron Brittain, the 2008 PBC Player of the Year, who one-touched it past Laker keeper David Cristofoli to tie the game.

Clayton State roared back, putting pressure on the Bearcat defense in the final minutes of regulation, taking five corner kicks to none over the final 11 minutes, although they were unable to find the net and the game went into overtime.

In the first OT period, Clayton State’s Alargie Jobe had a great look at the Lander goal but rocketed his shot high. Moments later, Lander’s Samy Beydoun had a similar opportunity but also sent his high.

With under three minutes remaining, Lander again upped their pressure, taking the only two shots they would have on back-to-back possessions, the latter leading to Ludewig’s goal.

Lander will play in their fourth consecutive championship game on Sunday, despite being outshot 16-10 and out corner-kicked 10-3. The Bearcats will be seeking their fourth tournament title on Sunday.

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