Greenville, S.C. -- ETSU benefited from an own goal in the 13th minute and Fletcher Ekern converted from the penalty spot with 2:38 left in regulation as the Buccaneers downed Furman, 2-0, in Southern Conference men's soccer on Friday evening at Stone Stadium.

Corentin Ohlmann whipped a cross into the box from high on the right wing in the 13th minute to a charging Ekern.  Furman's center back beat Ekern to the ball, but his attempt to head the ball clear of danger ended in a header inside the near post for an own goal and 1-0 ETSU (7-5-2, 4-3-1 SoCon) lead.

Lewis Hawke nearly equalized for the Paladins in the 24th minute when he received a pass in the center of the box, but his shot towards the left corner was deflected by ETSU goalkeeper Jonny Sutherland and Hawke's follow-up effort was blocked out for a corner kick.  In the 29th minute, freshman Dalton Souder got a head to Marco Carrizales' corner only to see his shot ricochet off of the post before being cleared from danger.

Hawke was denied on another head in the 35th minute and saw his 37th minute shot miss wide after Kevin Pahl's effort from the top of the box was blocked.

Just two minutes into the second half, Adrian McInnis was played behind the defense on the left side of the box, but Sutherland came off his line to block the senior's driving shot.  In the 66th minute, Brendan Richardson got a head to Carrizales' corner at the far post only to have an ETSU defender clear the shot off the line.

The Bucs put the game out of reach with under three minutes left in regulation when Furman (6-5-3, 5-2-1 SoCon) was whistled for a foul in the box and Ekern stepped up to convert the penalty kick for his seventh goal of the season.

Sutherland finished with five saves to earn the shutout for ETSU after the Paladins posted an 18-12 edge in shots and 6-5 advantage in shots on goal.  Sven Lissek stopped three shots for Furman in the loss.

Prior to the game, Furman honored three-year-old Quinn Cronin, the daughter of former Paladin standout McNeil Cronin, as the game was designated the Quinn Game for Down Syndrome Awareness.  After Furman head coach Doug Allison and McNeil Cronin addressed the crowd, Quinn Cronin joined her dad in scoring the ceremonial first goal.

The Paladins return to action Tuesday when they travel to Spartanburg, S.C., to face the Wofford Terriers.

Fans can access in-game updates of Furman men's soccer on Twitter by following @FurmanSoccer.


Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information