Furman Drops 3-2 Decision To UConn In NCAA Quarterfinals

 Storrs, Conn. -- The Furman men's soccer team saw a 2-1 lead with ten minutes to play evaperate in just over two minutes as fourth-seeded Connecticut rallied to defeat Furman 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament.

    Furman jumped off to a 1-0 lead with a John Bradford goal at the 32:06  mark in the first half.  Bradford collected a loose ball in the box a connected on his second goal of the season to the far side of the goal.  The Huskies rallied to tie the score nine minutes later with a Brent Rahim goal off a double assist from Rui Fernandez and Darin Lewis.  The score remained tied through halftime.

    Furman gained the 2-1 lead at the 59:19 mark as John Barry Nusum collected a loose ball, dribbled to the top of the box and rifled a shot to the lower corner of the goal.  Furman held the 2-1 lead through the next 21 minutes.

    UConn tied the score at the 80:14 mark as Darin Lewis scored off a Donny Mark, Michael Mordocco double assist.  T wo minutes later, Connecticut scored the game-winner on a controversial header off a corner kick.  Brent Rahim took the corner kick, which crossed the far post where Max Zeiky headed it in.  While the ball was in the air, a UConn attacking player appeared to touch the ball with his hands, prompting many of the Furman defenders to look for the "hand ball" call.  Neither the linesman or the head official saw the apparent hand ball and Furman was unable to mount a late comeback. It marked only the third time all season that Furman trailed in a match.  Over the entire year, the Paladins trailed in only 45 minutes.

    "I am just so proud of our kids," said Furman head coach Doug Allison.  "Everyone, particular our seniors, deserved more than this.  This was a great game.  Scott Blount played terrific in goal and we left everything we had out on the that field today. The game kept swinging back and forth."

    "I think we have been underrated most of the season, but I think we were able to use that as motivation during the playoffs," said Allison.

    "That was the best team we have played all year," said Connecticut head coach Ray Reid.  "We played Duke, we played Virginia, and we played.  But Furman is the best team we have played this season.

    Connecticut is the first team all season to score three or more goals against Furman.

  Furman, ranked third nationally by Soccer America, but unseeded in the NCAA Tournament finished the season 21-2-1.  Furman opened the tournament with a 2-1 overtime win over North Carolina at home before going on the road to knock off the tournament's fifth seeds in Wake Forest.  The Paladins breezed past the Deacons 4-0 in the second round.

    The Paladins' season and its run in the tournament ranks as one of the biggest accomplishments in Furman athletic history.    Other noteworthy accomplishments include the 1988 football team's Division I-AA National Championship and the 1976 women's golf team's AIAW National Championship.

    For the Furman senior class, the match was the end of a long and successful run.  This class of nine seniors tallied the best four year record in Furman history as the Paladins are 67-16-4 over the last four years.
 

Scoring:
FU - John Bradford (unassisted)    32:06
UC - Brent Rahim (Fernandez, Lewis assist)    41:23
FU - John Barry Nusum (unassisted)    59:19
UC - Darin Lewis (Mark, Mordocco assist)    80:14
FU - Max Zieky (Rahim assist)    82:29

Shots: FU - 12, UCONN - 16
Saves: FU - 7, UCONN - 5
Corner Kicks: FU - 5, UCONN - 11
Fouls: FU - 18, UCONN - 12