CLEMSON, SC -- The 11th ranked Furman men's soccer team fell 3-2 to the 4th ranked Clemson Tigers in an NCAA Tournment First Round match marked by freezing temperatures and snow flurries that covered the field for the entire first half.
The flow of play was slowed down considerably due to the inclement weather as ice sticking to the ball became a factor and the players soon found the ball skidding along instead of bouncing. The match also became a very physical one as six yellow cards were eventually issued and Furman's Moffat Oduor was shown a red card and ejected from the match.
Clemson had the first opportunity to open the scoring as an apparent offside midfielder Mark Lisi broke free past the Furman defense and touched the ball past goalkeeper Scott Blount. Lisi had the open Paladin goal ahead of him but his shot sailed wide of the target.
Furman finally broke the scoreless tie at the 22:44 mark on a goal by junior midfielder Matt Goldsmith. Patrick Tanner drew a foul just outside the Clemson penalty box and Furman set up for an indirect free kick. McNeil Cronin fired a shot into the Clemson wall on the set play but the Tigers could not clear it. Goldsmith collected the ball 20 yards out and chipped a shot over Clemson goalkeeper Doug Warren that hit the crossbar but bounced into the net to give the Paladins a 1-0 lead.
The snow subsided as the second half began and Clemson quickly began an offensive attack. After spending most of the first 11 minutes of the half on Furman's defensive end of the field, the Tigers found the equalizing goal. On a direct kick from almost exactly where Goldsmith scored, Mark Lisi knocked the free kick past Blount to tie the score.
The Tigers took their first lead of the match just seven and a half minutes later when Ian Fuller found Steven Rhyne with a ball around the Furman defense. Rhyne slotted a shot past Blount to give Clemson a 2-1 lead.
Furman tied the score less than two minutes later when the Paladins set up a familiar play. McNeil Cronin sent a corner kick into the middle of the penalty box and Patrick Tanner headed it over the goal line to tie the score 2-2. For Cronin, it was his team-leading 15th assist on the season and the seventh time he had connected with Tanner for a goal.
Clemson prevented the impending overtime period with less than four minutes to go in the match. Pablo Webster made a long throw-in into the penalty box that was flicked on goal by Oguchi Onyewu and finally knocked in by Eric Lewis. The goal gave the Tigers the 3-2 win and ended Furman's chances of matching or improving on last season's remarkable NCAA Tournament run.
"I'm disappointed that the season is over," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "But, this was a great, great college soccer game, and I'm really proud of the way our kids played. Anyone could have won it, and I give them credit for finishing their last chance to win the match. Everyone who braved the elements and came out to watch the match saw an incredible soccer match."
"These are two really good teams," added Allison. "It is a shame that one of these two teams is out at this stage of the tournament. We had a great season and we can hold our heads up high."
With the loss, Furman concluded its season 17-4-2. The No. 2 seeded Clemson Tigers move on to host Connecticut in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament next Sunday. Furman was making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and falls to 3-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches.
Scoring:
Shots: FU - 7, CU - 14
Corner Kicks: FU - 4, CU - 7
Saves: FU - 6, CU - 2
Fouls: FU - 22, CU - 24