November 10, 2002
GREENVILLE -- Scott Hoch scored two first half goals to lead the seventh ranked Furman men's soccer team to a 3-0 victory over Davidson Sunday afternoon.
Furman extended its consecutive shutout streak to seven matches, which ties for the 12th longest in NCAA Division I history. Furman has not allowed a goal in 688 minutes, dating back to the first half of a match at St. Louis on October 5.
Furman also extended its Southern Conference unbeaten streak to 41 matches, pulling to within one of the NCAA record of 42 held by Clemson from 1972-1980.
Scott Hoch put the Paladins on top 1-0 at the 21:07 mark off an assist from Drew Moor. Hoch added his second goal at the 32:15 mark after receiving a pass from Sergei Raad. Clint Hill was also credited with an assist on the play.
Furman extended its lead to 3-0 late in the first half as Clint Dempsey beat Davidson goalkeeper Soren Johnson with the dribble and rifled a shot to the far corner of the goal.
Furman's 3-0 lead could have been larger, but Davidson goalkeeper Soren Johnson saved two first half penalty kicks. Anthony Esquivel's penalty kick to the left was saved at the 10:37 mark, while Drew Moor's shot to the right was saved at the 20:53 mark.
The second half went back and forth as neither team was able to score while Furman kept its shutout streak intact.
"I continue to be impressed with the heart of this team," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "We have been through a lot this season, yet they continue to press on. To finish the SoCon regular season undefeated is remarkable, but we have a tough road in next week's conference tournament."
The Paladins improve to 15-2-1 on the season and finish 8-0 in the Southern Conference. Furman will open the Southern Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed on Thursday, November 14 at 4:30 p.m. in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., against Wofford. Davidson falls to 9-6-4, 5-2-1 in the Southern Conference. The Wildcats will be the No. 3 seed in the SoCon Tournament.
Scoring:
Shots: Furman -- 14; Davidson -- 8.
Corner Kicks: Furman -- 2; Davidson -- 4.
Saves: Furman -- 2; Davidson -- 9.
Fouls: Furman -- 21; Davidson -- 15.