The First Coast has another college men’s soccer champion.
Senior Marcus Hedemann scored the winning goal with 4:06 left in the game to lift Flagler College over Clayton State 2-1 on Sunday in the Peach Belt Conference championship game at Laker Field in Morrow, Ga.
Flagler (12-4-3), which scored both of its goals in the final 10 minutes, snapped an 11-match unbeaten streak for Clayton (12-3-3) and handed the Lakers their first home loss since Sept. 21, 2022, a span of 21 matches.
The Saints will find out their NCAA Division II first-round opponent on Monday night.
The University of North Florida won the ASUN championship in a thrilling penalty-kick finish over Central Arkansas at Hodges Stadium on Saturday. Joaquin Acuna buried the decided kick as the Ospreys won the PK round 4-3 after regulation and two 10-minute overtimes left the two teams in a 3-3 tie.
UNF (8-7-3) will find out its NCAA Division I destination shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday. The Ospreys will be making their second trip to the NCAAs after winning their second ASUN title.
Flagler, which is 4-0-2 in its last six matches, is in the NCAA Division II tournament for the sixth time and has won three Peach Belt Tournament titles.
The Saints trailed 1-0 until the 80th minute when sophomore Joshua Fox, the tournament’s most valuable player, tied the game at 1-1 with a header off a free kick by junior Max Gottwald.
