Furman Men's Soccer Year-in-Review
Game Notes for SoCon Tournament (.pdf)
Game Notes for NCAA Play-In Match (.pdf)
Game Notes for NCAA First Round Match
Game Notes for NCAA Second Round Match
Game Notes for NCAA Quarterfinals
Game 1 September 3, 1999
Furman 2, #18 South Florida 1 N
Furman opened the season with an impressive 2-1 win over 18th-ranked South Florida. John Barry Nusum scored the season's first goal at the 22:45 mark of the first half, only to see South Florida even the score early in the second half. Nusum later scored the game-winner with 13 minutes to play. Scott Blount, making only his sixth career start in goal, recorded 11 saves, including a remarkable save in the match's final minute to preserve the victory.
Game 2 September 5, 1999
Furman 1, UAB 0 (OT) A
Matt Goldsmith broke a scoreless tie six minutes into the first overtime period to propel Furman to a 1-0 victory, a 2-0 start, and the championship of the UAB Nike Classic. Furman's Ryan Conway was charged with a red card at the 65:23 mark, forcing the Paladins to play a man down the remainder of the match. The Paladin defense, led by goalkeeper Scott Blount, stepped their play up a notch to force the shutout. Blount was named MVP of the tournament for his 17 save performance over two matches. Joining Blount on the all-tournament team were fellow sophomores John Bradford, John Barry Nusum, and Matt Goldsmith. Scott Blount also earned Southern Conference player-of-the-week and Soccer America team-of-the-week honors for his performance.
FU - Matt Goldsmith (Bradford, Junot) 96:21
Game 3 September 8, 1999
#17 Furman 4, Belmont 1 H
Furman improved to 3-0 with a 4-1 defeat of Belmont in the Paladins' home opener. Daniel Alvarez' 30 yard throw ins set up the first two goals of the match as Nusum scored the first and Belmont scored an own goal on the second. Graham Seagraves and Andy Foy also scored for the Paladins.
Game 4 September 12, 1999
#17 Furman 3, Georgia State 1 A
After a slow start and a scoreless first half, the Paladins came to life and defeated Georgia State 3-1. Andy Foy netted his second goal of the season to commence the scoring for the Paladins. Furman improved to 4-0 with the victory.
Game 5 September 19, 1999
#11 Furman 2, Elon 0 H
Carl Junot scored a pair of goals as the Paladins downed Elon 2-0 at Eugene Stone Stadium. Despite outshooting Elon 26-4, Furman was only able to strike twice. Junot's two goals were the first since the 1997 season for the junior forward, who missed most of 1998 with injuries.
Game 6 September 22, 1999
#15 Furman 2, Coll. of Charleston 1 (OT) A
Furman freshman Jody Keeling scored his first career goal 1:11 into overtime as the Paladins remained undefeated with a 2-1 win over the College of Charleston. Keeling entered the match for the first time at the start of overtime. Furman's first goal was scored again by the combination of Daniel Alvarez to John Barry Nusum. Charleston rallied to tie the score and send the match to overtime before Keeling's heroics saved the day.
Game 7 September 26, 1999
#15 Furman 1, South Carolina 1 (2OT) H
A crowd of 2,345 watched Furman and South Carolina battle to a 1-1 tie. The second biggest home crowd in Furman soccer history witnessed a physical match with a combined 38 fouls and ten yellow cards. Furman scored early as John Barry Nusum knocked in a header a the 8:23 mark. Furman, despite several chances and a penalty kick,was unable to put the match out of reach. South Carolina scored the equalizer at the 83:50 mark and sent the match to overtime. Neither team scored in 30 minutes of overtime and the match ended in a tie.
Game 8 October 1, 1999
#14 Furman 3, Akron 1 N
The Paladins got off to a strong start at the Clemson/Nike Invitational with a 3-1 win over previously ranked Akron. Paladin reserves Clint Hill and Andy Foy gave Furman a 2-0 halftime lead. John Barry Nusum scored late in the match to seal the victory. Daniel Alvarez' assist on Furman' s first goal put him one shy of the all-time assist record.
Game 9 October 3, 1999
#2 Santa Clara 1, #14 Furman 0 N
Furman battled second ranked Santa Clara in the championship match of the Clemson/Nike Invitational and lost 1-0. Furman had a couple of great opportunities in the first half, but was unable to score. Santa Clara scored in the 70th minute, putting the Paladins behind in a match for the first time all season. Despite a late attack by the Paladins, Santa Clara was able to hold on to the win, thus giving the Broncos the nation's top rankings the next day. Andy Foy, Seth Marks, and Graham Seagraves were named to the all-tournament team. Furman finished second in the tournament.
Game 10 October 6, 1999
#13 Furman 7, Wofford 1 H
Furman rebounded from it's first loss of the season in dramatic fashion as they trounced Wofford 7-1. John Barry Nusum scored 16 seconds into the match to set a Paladin record for the quickest goal ever. It was the sixth quickest goal in NCAA Division I history. Nusum's goal set the tone for the match as Furman rolled to a 5-0 halftime lead and a 7-1 victory. Several Paladin reserves saw significant action in the second half.
Game 11 October 8, 1999
#13 Furman 4, The Citadel 0 H
For the second straight match, Furman scored a goal in the opening minute as Daniel Alvarez put Furman on top for good 35 seconds into the match. Andy Foy scored the Paladins' second goal of the night off assists by Matt Goldsmith and Daniel Alvarez. Alvarez' assist tied him with Jeff Jones as Furman's all-time leader in assists with 33. Furman defeated The Citadel for the 21st consecutive time.
Game 12 October 12, 1999
#11 Furman 1, Appalachian St. 0 A
Furman won its third straight match by defeating Appalachian State 1-0 on artificial turf. Daniel Alvarez got the assist on Stephen Rodriguez' game-winner, making Alvarez Furman's all-time leader in career assists.
FU -Stephen Rodriguez (Alvarez assist) 19:58
Game 13 October 16, 1999
#11 Furman 3, UNC Greensboro 1 A
Furman defeated UNC Greensboro for the third time in the last four matches with a 3-1 victory that put Furman in sole possession of first place in the conference. Vaughan Bethell put Furman up early, while Carl Junot scored the game-winner late in the first half after UNCG had tied the match at 1-1. Stephen Rodriguez scored the clincher late in the match to give the Paladins the 3-1 win. Rodriguez earned SoCon player-of-the-week honors and was named to the Soccer America Team-of-the-Week for his performance against UNCG and Appalachian State. Furman moved up to eighth in the Soccer America national rankings following the victory, giving the Paladins their highest-ever national ranking.
Game 14 October 22, 1999
#8 Furman 1, Davidson 0 A
Furman defeated Davidson 1-0 on the strength of a John Barry Nusum goal at the 24:54 mark. Davidson, who had beaten two top 10 teams earlier this season, was unable to mount a scoring attack as Scott Blount recorded his fourth solo shutout of the season.
Game 15 October 24, 1999
#8 Furman 3, VMI 0 H
Furman cruised to an easy 3-0 victory over VMI as freshman Jody Keeling scored twice. The win secured at least a share of the Southern Confernece title for the Paladins. Furman claimed its sixth straight win with the victory. The shutout was the fourth in the last five matches for the Paladins.
Game 16 October 27, 1999
#6 Furman 3, Clemson 2 (2OT) H
Furman won a huge match against rival Clemson in front of 2,852 fans at Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium. Andy Foy scored twice, including the overtime game-winner to lead the Paladins. After falling behind 1-0, Carl Junot scored to tie the match and Foy put Furman ahead 2-1. With the match tied at 2-2 and less than one minute remaining in the second overtime Furmanıs Andy Foy scored his second goal of the night on a bizarre play. Furman keeper Scott Blount sent a goalkick to the midfield strike where Carl Junot played a bouncing ball to the top of the goalbox. Foy and Clemsonıs Christian Baldwin both went up for a header, with Tiger goalie Mark Paisant also pursuing the ball. The ball was headed back behind Paisant and rolled into the net to end the match as 500-plus Furman supporters rushed the field.
Game 17 October 31, 1999
#6 Furman 3, Georgia Southern 1 H
Furman closed the regular season with a 3-1 win over Georgia Southern to finish 15-1-1 overall and 8-0 in the Southern Conference. Anthony Esquivel, Matt Goldsmith, and John Michael Waite scored first half goals to lead Furman. Furman claimed its ninth Southern Conference championship this decade and its 14th out the last 17.
Game 18 November 5, 1999
#4 Furman 3, The Citadel 0
Furman opened the Southern Conference Tournament with a 3-0 victory over The Citadel as John Barry Nusum recorded two goals and recorded one assist. Nusum's final goal was a bicycle kick off a cross by Clint Hill. The match was Allison's 100th since arriving on Furman's campus in 1995. The win marked the 22nd straight for the Paladins over the Bulldogs.
Game 19 November 6, 1999
#4 Furman 1, Coll. of Charleston 0
For the second time this season, College of Charleston played Furman tight as the Paladins won 1-0. Freshman Clint Hill's goal in the 68th minute proved to be enough as Furman advanced to its seventh straight SoCon championship match. Seth Marks and Stephen Rodriguez played in their 80th career match, breaking the Furman career matches played record.
Game 20 November 7, 1999
#4 Furman 3, UNCG 2
Furman won the 1999 Southern Conference Tournament Championship with a 3-2 victory over UNCG. The Paladins claimed their eighth Southern Conference Tournament title with the win. When Furman scored early in the second half to extend its lead to 3-0, it appeared the Paladins were ready to coast to victory. UNCG rallied and pulled to within 3-2 with 24 minutes to play, but the Paladin defense held off the Spartans late. John Barry Nusum scored three goals, while Graham Seagraves, Jack Handy, John Bradford, and Carl Junot were named to the all-tournament team. Seagraves earned MVP honors for his defensive play all weekend and for holding Southern Conference leading scorer Alejandro Moreno in check in the championship match. Seagraves also earned Soccer America Team-of-the-Week honors for his performance.
Game 21 November 13, 1999
#4 Furman 1, Radford 0
Furman downed Radford 1-0 to earn its third-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Sophomore Matt Goldsmith's goal just 26 seconds into the second half was all the Paladins needed to secure the victory and its first tournament appearance in the Doug Allison regime. Furman won its 12th straight match with the victory.
Game 22 November 21, 1999
#3 Furman 2, North Carolina 1 (2OT)
Carl Junotıs goal at the 108:50 mark in the second overtime vaulted the 3rd ranked Paladins to a 2-1 victory over North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Menıs College Cup at Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium.
The game-winner was set up as John Bradford sent a corner kick to the near post. The ball was low, thus Junot was forced to duck down as he headed the ball off the side of his head and off the chest of North Carolina keeper William Woodruff and into the goal. The first half of the match was dominated by the Tar Heels as North Carolina outshot Furman 9-1, but was unable to score as the Furman defense led by goalkeeper Scott Blount played remarkably.
Furman settled down in the second half and took the 1-0 lead at the 70:12 mark. SoCon player-of-the-year Daniel Alvarez tossed one of his trademark 35-foot throw-ins to Carl Junot, who tapped the ball to John Barry Nusum. Nusum then knocked in his team leading 15th goal of the season. Furman held the 1-0 lead for seven minutes before the Tar Heels evened the score. The equalizing play started as Joey DiSalva knocked a free kick to Jon Wean, who passed again to Chris Leitch, who rifled the ball to lower corner of the goal. The goal was Leitchıs first career goal.
The remainder of regulation and the first overtime period remained scoreless until Junotıs game-winner. UNC senior goalkeeper William Woodruff saw his first action of the season as he checked into the match in the 76 minute mark for starter Michael Ueltschey and played in the goal for the remaining of the match.
Game 23 November 28, 1999
Furman 4, Wake Forest 0
The Furman men's soccer team moved one match closer to an appearance at the Men's College Cup at Charlotte's Ericsson Stadium with a convincing 4-0 win over Wake Forest in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Spry Soccer Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest.
Furman took it to the Deacons from the start as the Paladins won their second straight tournament match over an ACC team. Furman took the 1-0 lead at the 1:50 mark in the first half as the Paladins scored on a set piece as they have done many times this season. Paul Leese scored his first goal of the season as he knocked a loose ball in the box off a corner kick. Carl Junot and Daniel Alvarez each got touches on the ball before Leese put it in the back of the net.
The Paladins wasted little time taking the 2-0 lead as Carl Junot knocked in a rebound of his own shot at the 6:03 mark. Furman kept the 2-0 lead through halftime until Nusum put the match away with his team leading 16th goal of the season. Jack Handy sent a ball down the left sideline where Daniel Alvarez crossed to Nusum for the goal.
Furman scored its final goal at the 69:48 mark as freshman John Michael Waite knocked in a rebound off a shot from roommate and high school teammate Clint Hill.
Wake Forest, the tournament's fifth seed, finished the season 13-3-5.
Game 24 December 5, 1999
Connecticut 3, Furman 2
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: