November 14, 2003
CHARLESTON, SC -- The Furman men's soccer team scored three goals in a ten minute time span in the first half as the Paladins defeated Appalachian State 3-1 Friday in the first round of the 2003 Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championship.
Furman improves to 6-8-4 on the season and will tackle No. 1 seed Davidson on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. in the semifinals.
Scott Hoch opened the scoring when he buried a shot past Mountaineer goalkeeper Philip Cavicchia at the 27:39 mark. Only three minutes later, the Paladins extended their lead to 2-0 when Clint Dempsey knocked home a bicycle kick. Dempsey’s second goal of the first half, a header in the 37th minute, gave Furman a 3-0 lead at the 37:39 mark.
The Mountaineers came out strong in the second half, but Paladin goaltender
John Hanley yielded only one goal on 17 shots. The second frame was also filled
with physical play and 10 Mountaineer corner kicks.
"I was impressed with our performance tonight," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "The season comes down to one weekend now and we are going to take it one day at a time."
Furman has advanced at least as far as the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament every year of the tournament's existence, a streak that stretches to1988. Furman will be attempting to reach the SoCon finals for the 11th straight year when it faces top seeded Davidson Saturday.
Appalachian State finishes the season 7-11-1.
Scoring:
Shots: FU - 9, ASU - 17
Saves: FU - 6, ASU - 3
Corner Kicks: FU - 4, ASU - 13
Fouls: FU - 15, ASU - 10