October 28, 2001
MIAMI, FLA The 15th ranked Furman men's soccer team defeated Michigan 3-0 Sunday afternooon in the FIU Soccer Classic in Miami, Fla.
The Paladins got on the board in the first half with an own goal as Michigan's Matt Neimeyer headed in a cross by Furman's Vaughn Bethell at the 31:53 mark.
A bizarre altercation ensued at the 42:12 mark of the first half after Furman's John Barry Nusum and Michigan goalkeeper Joe Zawacki both went after a high free ball in the box. Zawacki was flagged for a flagrant elbow to Nusum and was shown a red card. Furman's Anthony Esquivel connected on the penalty kick to give Furman the 2-0 lead. On that play alone, Michigan received one red card and two yellow cards, while Furman received one yellow card.
Furman extended the lead to 3-0 in the second half as Clint Dempsey connected on a goal from a John Barry Nusum assist. Nusum then added a goal of his own at the 84:20 mark as he scored after receiving a deflected Anthony Esquivel pass.
A total of nine yellow cards were shown in the match, five to Furman and four to Michigan. Furman outshot Michigan 22-4.
"We needed a win today and we got one," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "We must stay focused with some key SoCon matches coming up in the next two weeks."
Furman improves to 11-4 on the season, while Michigan falls to 8-6-1 on the year.
Furman will return home Wednesday night as the Paladins host Wofford at 7:00 p.m. in a Southern Conference match.
Scoring:
Shots: FU 22; UM 4
Corner Kicks: FU 4; UM 3
Fouls: FU 20; UM 24
Saves: FU 3; UM 6