October 18, 2002
GREENVILLE -- The 14th ranked Furman men's soccer team will take on College of Charleston on Saturday at 2:00 at Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium in its first match since the tragic death of freshman Gray Griffin.
Griffin, a freshman defender on the Paladins' soccer team, was killed in an automobile accident on October 11.
Furman will be without three other members of the team, who were also injured in the accident. Josh Villalobos and Sean Murray have returned to Furman and will be in attendance on Saturday, while Chefik Simo is still at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
"This has been a very difficult week for all of us," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "Soccer has definitely been put in perspective. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Griffin family and with Chefik as he begins his long road to recovery."
"It is going to be difficult to return to any sense of normalcy," added Allison. "We know that Gray would want us to continue playing soccer, though, and that is what we are going to do. We have dedicated the rest of this season to Gray's memory."
Furman has rescheduled its match at Georgia Southern, originally scheduled for October 12, for October 30 at 12:30 p.m. in Statesboro, Ga.
The Paladins are currently 9-2-1 on the season and 4-0 in the Southern Conference. College of Charleston is 6-4-1 on the year and 2-1 in league play.
Tickets for the match are $4 for adults and $2 for children.