February 14, 2002
GREENVILLE, SC -- Former Furman captains Scott Blount and Matt Goldsmith were both selected in the first round of the 2002 A-League College Player Draft. Blount was drafted by the Atlanta Silverbacks as the 10th pick, and Goldsmith was chosen as the 15th pick by the Charleston Battery.
The first round of the A-Leauge Draft is a territorial round where teams may only select a player from their drafting region.
Blount, a native of Brentwood, Tennessee, was a two-time NSCAA Scholar Athlete All-American as a Paladin. Blount notched four shutouts in the 2002 season and posted a 0.87 goals agains average on the year.
Goldsmith, from Roswell, Georgia, has a both a second and third team NSCAA All-American citation to his credit. Goldsmith started all 91 matches that Furman played during his career.
"These two players have played major roles in the success of our program," said head coach Doug Allison. "I'm excited that they are going to get the opportunity to continue their soccer careers."
Furman finished the 2002 season with a 17-5 record after winning the Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles and earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season.