September 28, 2003
Clemson, South Carolina- The Furman men's soccer team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 24 minutes and held off Air Force for a 4-3 victory Sunday afternoon in the Clemson/Nike Invitational in Clemson, S.C.
Furman, 2-5-2 on the season, got on the board first at the 13:45 mark when Scott Hoch scored from six yards out on assists from Kenneth Penn and Josh Villalobos. Clint Dempsey put the Paladins in front by two goals on a 28 yard free kick at the 22:16 mark. Freshman Eric Vogl ended Furman's flurry of goals, scoring on assists from Villalobos and Dempsey at 23:47 to give the Paladins a 3-0 advantage.
Air Force, 5-4-1, answered in the 32nd minute as Marcus Sagastume beat keeper Alex Maslow for his fifth goal of the season to make the score 3-1 at the half.
Less than six minutes into the second half, Vogl was taken down in the box and Furman was awarded a penalty kick. However, Vogl retaliated to the tackle and was issued a red card. Villalobos converted the penalty kick to stretch the lead to 4-1. Air Force rallied with two goals in the next 10 minutes, but the Paladin defense held off a relentless attack in the final 30 minutes to pick up the win.
"I was pleased to see us produce some goals this afternoon," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "We took advantage of our chances early in the match and held on at the end."
Furman's McNeil Cronin, Scott Hoch, and Clint Dempsey were selected to the Clemson/Nike Soccer Invitational All-Tournament team.
There were 54 total fouls called in the match and nine cards issued, including two ejections. Air Force outshot the Paladins 11-9.
Furman returns to action Saturday night when it travels to Greensboro, N.C., to take on Southern Conference rival UNC Greensboro.
Scoring:
Shots: Furman - 9; AFA - 11
Saves: Furman - 3; AFA - 3
Corner Kicks: Furman - 3; AFA - 4
Fouls: Furman - 26; AFA - 28