November 23, 2001
COLUMBIA, SC - The No. 17 Furman men's soccer team was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by UAB 1-0 in overtime on a rainy Friday night in Columbia.
UAB's Jose Rayo dribbled through the Furman defense and Furman's Moffat Oduor was whistled for a foul in the penalty box with 2:21 remaining in the first overtime period. UAB's Martin Rey converted the ensuing penalty kick to give the Blazers the 1-0 win.
Despite out-shooting UAB 15-9 in regulation, the Paladins, the nation's leader in goals per game, could not find a goal in the first 90 minutes.
Furman had several good opportunities in the second half. With 13:30 remaining, Andy Chase one-timed a shot in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but UAB's Clint Baumstrark made the save. The Paladins also had a flurry of action in front of the UAB goal in the final two minutes as a Moffat Oduor shot hit the crossbar, and John Barry Nusum's attempt to head in the rebound was cleared out of the open net by a UAB defender.
"I am really proud of our guys," said head coach Doug Allison. "They fought really hard today. I thought we had the upper hand in play and that we dominated the offensive end. We had some great chances and you have got to take advantage of those chances in the playoffs. In these conditions, I thought this was a pretty good game of soccer. It's tough to end your season on a penalty kick."
Furman finishes the season 17-5 while UAB improves to 14-5. UAB will play host South Carolina on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
"I'm going to miss these seniors," added Allison. "They are one of the greatest groups to ever play here."
Scoring:
Shots: FU - 17; UAB - 11
Corner Kicks: FU - 10; UAB - 2
Saves: FU - 5; UAB - 6
Fouls: FU - 19; UAB - 19