South Alabama led Furman 1-0 at the intermission despite only attempting two shots on goal as Sabrina Thompson scored off a Hilda Rantala assist at the 15:13 mark. The Jaguars cushioned their lead early in the second half as Snowy Birgisdottir scored off another Rantala assist at the 50:36 mark.
After several missed opportunities the Lady Paladins got on the board as Sarah Tollick dribbled through several defenders and lofted the ball over South Alabama keeper Bryna Warmuck's head. Furman continued to mount an offensive attack, but was quieted when USA's Leah Taylor scored with just under eight minutes to play to put USA back in front 3-1.
The Lady Paladins kept the pressure on as Tollick connected for her second goal of the afternoon on a header off a perfectly-placed cross by Melissa Turner at the 84:05 mark in the match. Furman continued to pressure the South Alabama defenders, but was unable to score the game-tying goal late in the match.
Furman played the match without it's two starting forwards Leah Versteegen and Melissa Sutton who were red carded late in Furman's 4-3 loss to South Carolina on Tuesday. Both will be in action against N.C. State this Tuesday.
"This was a disappointing loss," said Furman head coach Brian Lee. "We have focus and start playing better before our match against UNC Greensboro on October 27."
Furman falls to 10-5 with the loss, while South Alabama improves to 10-3 on the season. Furman will travel to Raleigh, N.C. for a 3:30 match with North Carolina State this Tuesday. Furman will have a chance to clinch a share of the Southern Conference title and the No. 1 seed at the SoCon tournament in a match with UNC Greensboro on October 27.
Scoring:
Shots on Goal: Furman -- 17; USA -- 9.
Corner Kicks: Furman -- 6; USA -- 6.
Saves: Furman -- 2; USA -- 8.
Fouls: Furman -- 7; USA -- 7.
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