Fourth-Ranked Paladins Down UNC Greensboro 3-2
Furman Claims Eighth SoCon Tournament Title

 Charleston, S.C -- The fourth-ranked Furman men’s soccer team claimed the 1999 Southern Conference Tournament Championship with a 3-2 win over UNC Greensboro Sunday at Blackbaud Stadium.  With the win, the Paladins will play Big South Tournament Champion Radford in an NCAA play-in match next weekend in Greenville.

 The Paladins’ first goal came as Spartan keeper Nathan Kipp attempted to clear a ball from the top of the box only to see the ball bounce off a charging Matt Goldsmith and into the back of the net.  Furman took the 2-0 lead at the 31:06 mark on a familiar play as John Barry Nusum headed in a 35-yard Daniel Alvarez throw-in.

 The Paladins took a three goal advantage the match at the 52:31 mark in the first half with a John Barry Nusum goal off assists from Stephen Rodriguez and Vaughn Bethell.  The Spartans got their first score of the match four minutes later on an own goal.  Svanfnir Gislason cut the lead to 3-2 at the 67:25 mark as he lofted a shot over the head of Paladin keeper Scott Blount from 20 yards out.  Intensity pickup up in the last 20 minutes as the Paladin defense came up big to secure the championship.

 Senior captain Graham Seagraves was named Southern Conference Tournament MVP, while John Bradford, Jack Handy, and Carl Junot were selected to the all-tournament team.  Seagraves earned MVP honors for his exceptional defensive play throughout the tournament.  Seagraves marked Spartan leading scorer Alejandro Moreno and held him to only one shot and no goals.

 “We won a match today against a very good team,” said Furman head coach .oug Allison.  “I am extremely proud of our kids.  They worked really hard today and deserve this championship.”

 Furman, ranked fourth nationally by Soccer America, improves to 18-1-1 on the season.  Furman has now won 11 matches in a row.  The Paladins, who have won 14 Southern Conference regular season championships since 1983, won their eighth tournament championship since the tournament format began in 1988.  The win also marks Furman’s third tournament championship in the last four years.

 The Paladins, who defeated UNCG 3-1 earlier this season, have now won four of the last five matches against the Spartans and two out of three in SoCon tournament championship matces.  UNC Greensboro finishes the season 13-7-1,

Scoring:
FU - Matt Goldsmith (unassisted)     9:53
FU - John Barry Nusum (Daniel Alvarez assist)   31:06
FU - John Barry Nusum (Stephen Rodriguez, Vaughn Bethell) 52:31
UNCG - own goal       56:15
UNCG - Svanfnir Gislason  (unassisted)    67:25

Shots: FU - 18, UNCG - 11
Saves: FU - 3, UNCG - 7
Corner Kicks: FU - 3, UNCG - 5
Fouls: FU - 12, UNCG - 14