Lexington, Va. -- Kevin Pahl's first have score proved to be the difference as the 24th-ranked Furman men's soccer team edged VMI, 1-0, in Southern Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Patchin Field.

The victory improved the Paladins to 5-1-3 overall and 1-0-1 in SoCon play, while extending Furman's unbeaten run to eight matches and its shutout streak to six matches.  VMI slipped to 1-8-1 overall and 0-2-0 in league play.

"We're happy to get another shutout and a great goal from Kevin Pahl," said Furman head coach Doug Allison.  "Points aren't easy to come by and three points on the road is vital this time of year."

After the Paladins dominated most of the opening half hour, Pahl put the Paladins in front with his first goal of the season at the 34:45 mark.  Following a free kick, Pahl ripped a 17-yard shot past VMI goalkeeper Zach Kaplan for the lone score of the match with assists credited to Tony Santibanez and Eli Pinner.

Junior Sven Lissek made a diving save in the first half for his only stop of the afternoon to earn his seventh shutout of the season in goal.  The Sewau, Germany, native ran the Paladins streak of consecutive minutes without allowing a goal to 634.

Furman managed a 20-5 edge in shot attempts and 9-1 advantage in shots on goal.  Kaplan finished with eight saves for the Keydets.

The Paladins return home on Tuesday to host SoCon rival Wofford on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Fans can log onto FurmanPaladins.com to follow live statistics through StatBroadcast and watch free live streaming video via the SoCon Digital Network.  Live in-game updates will be available on Twitter by following @FurmanSoccer.


Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information