October 1, 1999

Furman Men's Soccer Downs Akron 3-1 in Clemson/Nike Invitational

Clemson, SC-- The 14th-ranked Furman men's soccer team defeated Akron 3-1 Friday night in the first match of the Clemson/Nike Invitational.

The Paladins rolled to a 2-0 first half lead on the strength of goals by two reserves. Freshman Clint Hill scored his first collegiate goal at the 38:37 mark as he took a Daniel Alvarez cross from the left side of the box and drilled it past Zip keeper Kyle Milligan. Senior Andy Foy connected on his third goal of the season five minutes later off a Vaughan Bethell assist. Furman allowed only one shot on goal during the first half.

Akron came out strong in the second half, pulling to within 2-1 at the 52:41 mark off a Frank Ross, Doug Dekar double assist. Furman kept the pressure on and withstood additional Zip attacks before putting the match away as they extended the lead to 3-1. The Paladins' leading scorer, John Barry Nusum, netted his seventh goal of the season off a Ryan Conway free kick to score Furman's third goal.

"I am proud of the way our guys played today," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "I am excited to see how we match up with Santa Clara on Sunday. We will have to continue to play smart and finish our chances."

Furman plays #2 Santa Clara Sunday at 12:30 in the Clemson/Nike Invitational. A win Sunday by the Paladins would make Santa Clara the highest ranked opponent Furman has ever beaten. The Paladins are 0-6 lifetime against teams ranked number one or two in the country, all against Clemson.

Senior Daniel Alvarez' assist on the Paladins' first goal pulls the speedy midfielder to within one assist of the Furman all-time record. He now has seven assists this season, giving him 32 for his career. The current record is 33 assist, a record held by Jeff Jones since 1987.

Furman remains undefeated as the Paladins are now 7-0-1 on the year, while Akron falls to 5-3-1. The Zips were ranked in the nation's top 25 for the first three weeks of the season, before falling from the polls this week. Furman is currently 14th in the NSCAA and Soccer Times poll, while they are 16th in Soccer America.

Scoring
FU - Clint Hill (Daniel Alvarez assist) 38:37
FU - Andy Foy (Vaughan Bethell assist) 43:37
UA - Christopher Larson (Frank Ross, Doug Dekan assist) 52:41
FU - John Barry Nusum (Ryan Conway assist) 84:53

Shots: FU -13, UA - 5
Corner Kicks: FU - 9, UA - 3
Saves: FU - 2, UA - 4
Fouls: FU - 14, UA - 17