STATESBORO, Ga. John Barry Nusum scored a goal and assisted on another in helping the 16th-ranked Furman Paladins to a 3-0 Southern Conference win over Georgia Southern Wednesday afternoon at Eagle Field.
With the win the Paladins (12-2-1 overall and 6-0-0 in the SoCon) remain perfect in league play, putting themselves in a tie with Davidson in the SoCon race. The two conference front runners are set to square off this Saturday in a pivotal match-up that will start at 7 p.m. Furman could clinch its third straight SoCon title and tenth in the last 11 years with a victory. The Eagles fall to 4-9-2 overall and 1-5-1 in league play.
Through 40 minutes of action, the two teams fought to a scoreless tie despite both having opportunities to break the silence. Furman capitalized in the 41st minute when McNeil Cronin sent a corner-kick pass into the box to Patrick Tanner, whose header found the upper right corner of the net.
A 1-0 lead at halftime didn't last long into the second period, as Nusum scored at the 60:39 mark off an assist from Matt Goldsmith. Nusum then assisted on Furman's third and final goal at the 62:21 mark, as he fed Sergei Raad to put the visitors up 3-0.
"It's always good to come away with a conference road win," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "I thought Clint Hill and Patrick Tanner both played excellent today and I was pleased to see them step it up. Our focus is now on Davidson and wrapping up the conference title."
Blount earned the win in the net for the Paladins and, in keeping the Eagles scoreless, picked up his sixth shutout of the season. Georgia Southern keeper Garret Lazenby recorded six saves in the losing cause.
Furman claims its 17th straight Southern Conference win, the seventh longest conference winning streak in NCAA Division I history. Furman's SoCon streak dates to the start of the 1999 campaign.
Scoring:
Shots: FU - 18, GSU - 14
Saves: FU - 3, GSU - 6
Corner Kicks: FU - 10, GSU - 7
Fouls: FU - 12, GSU - 10