September 14, 1997
GREENVILLE, SC -- Ryan Higginbotham scored the lone goal in the match as the Furman men's soccer team knocked off Georgia Southern to win their Southern Conference opener Sunday at Eugene Stone Stadium.
Senior Ryan Higginbotham, the 1996 Southern Conference Player-of-the-Year, scored his first goal of the season at the 9:43 mark in the first half off a Brent Rosser pass to put Furman on top for good.
The Paladins controlled most of the match as they outshot the Eagles 19-6. Stephen Rodriguez and Pete Santora each attempted 4 shots on goal. Furman played the last 30 minutes of the match with an advantage as Georgia Southern was charged with two red cards, to go along with six yellow cards during the match.
"It's good to be 1-0 in the Southern Conference," Furman head coach Doug Allison said. "We beat a very good team today, they have had some solid results this season. It was also great to see Ryan Higginbotham score his first goal for the game-winner."
Scoring:
Shots On Goal: Furman -- 19; Georgia So. -- 7.
Corner Kicks: Furman -- 8; Georgia So. -- 5.
Saves: Furman -- 4; Georgia So. -- 6.
Fouls: Furman -- 12; Georgia So. -- 21.