Box Score Greenville, S.C. --
Michael Channell scored in the 63rd minute and Alec Kann notched
his fifth shutout as Furman slipped past 25th-ranked College of
Charleston, 1-0, in a battle of the only two unbeaten teams in
Southern Conference men's soccer on Friday night at Stone
Stadium.
With the win, Furman extended its
unbeaten streak to five matches while improving to 7-4-4 overall
and 3-0-2 in SoCon play. The Cougars fell to 10-3-2 overall
and 4-1-1 in the league while having their 12-match unbeaten streak
snapped.
Senior Dane Roberts slid a pass to the
right side of the box on a two-versus-one breakaway and Channell
hammered a 12-yard strike past CofC goalkeeper Kees Heemskerk at
62:10 for the lone goal of the match. The strike marked
Channell's third in eight matches this season.
Furman controlled a majority of
possession in the first half and outshot the Cougars 7-0, but could
not direct a shot on goal as its best chance, a Danny Hojaij shot,
rattled the cross bar in the 23rd minute.
Charleston went on the attack to open
the second half as substitute George Khoury saw a pair of shots
bounce off of the woodwork. After Furman surged ahead on
Channell's 63rd minute strike, the Cougars continued to serve
crosses and corner kicks into the box, but Kann and the Paladin
back line withstood the pressure to register Furman's sixth
clean sheet of the season and fourth in its last five matches.
Furman managed a 12-9 edge in shot
attempts and 5-2 advantage in shots on goal. The Cougars
earned nine corner kicks while surrendering four to the
Paladins.
Kann finished with a pair of saves and
Heemskerk stopped four shots for CofC.
Furman plays its final non-conference
match of the season on Tuesday when it travels to Durham, N.C., to
face the 18th-ranked Duke Blue Devils. The Paladins return
home on Saturday, October 30, to entertain UNC Greensboro at 7
p.m.
Fans can follow Furman soccer all
season long at www.furmanpaladins.com and at
www.twitter.com/FurmanPaladins.