November 12, 2000

FURMAN BLANKS RADFORD 2-0 TO ADVANCE TO NCAA TOURNAMENT

GREENVILLE -- The 12th ranked Furman men's soccer team defeated Radford 2-0 Sunday afternoon at Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium in an NCAA Play-In match to advance to its second straight NCAA Tournament.

Furman set the tone for the match early as freshman midfielder Patrick Tanner found the back of the net on a bicycle kick. Carl Junot¹s throw-in was flicked on to the box by Sergei Raad, where Tanner nailed the first bicycle kick of his soccer career to put Furman ahead 1-0.

The Paladins dominated the flow of play but missed on several chances to extend the lead to 2-0 against a pesky Highlander squad.

John Barry Nusum, Furman¹s all-time leader in career points, reentered the match late in the second half and took it upon himself to seal the victory and subsequent NCAA Tournament berth. Nusum collected a loose ball at the top of the 18-yard box, beat three Highlander defenders to create an opening and ripped an 18-yard shot past Radford keeper Andrew Essey.

Nusum¹s goal sealed the Highlander fate as Furman went on to claim the 2-0 victory. Furman outshot Radford 14-7 on the match.

"I thought we played well today," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "All of our kids contributed to earn us our second straight bid to the NCAA Tournament."

Furman will hope to build on last season¹s success in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Furman advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament with wins over North Carolina and Wake Forest before falling to Connecticut in the final minutes.

"There are 32 teams left still playing," added Allison. "I think anyone can win the championship this year. Last year¹s run was nice, but this is a whole different team. We just have to take it one game at a time and I think this team can do well."

Allison also praised the efforts of his freshman, Tanner.

"Patrick Tanner has proved to be a great player for us this year," said Allison. "That (first goal) was just a beautiful play. That was a goal-scorers goal and Patrick is finding a way to do just that."

Furman, the Southern Conference regular season and tournament champion, improves its record to 17-3-2 and will learn its opponent in the NCAA Tournament during the selection show Monday at 3:30 p.m. The selection show will air on Fox Sports South.

"We can go far," said All American forward John Barry Nusum. "If we just play as a unit, anything can happen."

Scoring:

• FU - Patrick Tanner (Sergei Raad, Carl Junot assists) 3:23
• FU - John Barry Nusum (unassisted) 77:06

Shots: Furman -- 14; Radford -- 7.

Corner Kicks: Furman -- 4; Radford -- 1.

Saves: Furman -- 3; Radford -- 6.

Fouls: Furman -- 10; Radford -- 18.