GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Stephen McNeill scored in the 64th minute and Tusculum College upset 13th-ranked Clayton State University 1-0 in non-conference men's soccer action Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
The Pioneers (4-6-1) won their fourth straight match, all by shutout, and defeated a ranked opponent for the first time since a 2-1 victory over 15th-ranked Carson-Newman in the South Atlantic Conference semifinals on Nov. 6, 2009. Tusculum's streak of four consecutive clean sheets is its longest since blanking four straight opponents in October, 2002.
McNeill scored his team-high sixth goal at 63:21 as he took a through pass from Roberto Pimentel and beat Lakers keeper Brian Garcia from the right side. McNeill has scored in five of the Pioneers' last six matches, including three of the team's five goals during their four-match winning streak.
Clayton State (7-4-0) was unable to crack a tough Pioneer back four, managing just two low-percentage shots on goal among their 10 shots. The Lakers also played the final 4:24 a man down after a second yellow card was shown.
"It's a great win for our program at this stage, and for the guys. We beat a very good team in Clayton State which has a lot of quality players," said Pioneer head coach Allen Vital. "I'm so happy that the guys were able to make it happen. We can enjoy this for a couple days then get ready for our next match."
The first 45 minutes were largely uneventful, with Tusculum holding a 4-2 edge in shots in the first half. McNeill's goal was the first shot on goal for either team in the second half, and he nearly gave the Pioneers a 2-0 lead with 4:36 left but his blast from 20 yards ricocheted square off the left post.
Tusculum finished with an 11-10 advantage in shots over Clayton State, while both teams took five corner kicks. Garcia made three saves for the Lakers, and Andy Goellner tallied a pair of saves for his fourth straight shutout for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers return to SAC action on Wednesday at 6 p.m. against rival Carson-Newman at Pioneer Field. Tusculum is 3-0 in the SAC while the Eagles split their first four conference matches.
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