Greenville, S.C. -- Midfielder Laurence Wyke scored in the 19th minute and goalkeeper Ben Hale notched his third shutout of the season to lead Furman men's soccer to a 1-0 victory over Gardner-Webb Tuesday evening on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.

The victory improved Furman to 3-0 at home this season and upped the Paladins overall record to 4-4-0. Gardner-Webb slipped to 1-6-1 with its second straight loss.

"It was great to get a win tonight," said Paladin head coach Doug Allison. "Gardner-Webb has shown the ability to score goals this season so we are definitely happy to come away with a shutout."

Furman took the lead on its first shot of the game at the 18:52 mark as Wyke, a senior from Bolton, England, stripped the ball from a defender and rocketed a shot inside the near post from the right side of the box for his third goal of the season.

Gardner-Webb threatened to pull even as Jack Hoey's free kick found its way through traffic in the 28th minute, but the shot rebounded off the right post and into the arms of Hale. The Frisco, Texas, native made two saves on the night, including a diving deflection on Hoey's 45th-minute effort, to earn the shutout. Grant Glorioso stopped three shots in goal for the Runnin' Bulldogs.

The Paladins managed a 10-5 margin in shot attempts and 4-2 edge in shots on goal against Gardner-Webb, and a strong effort by the Paladin defense held the visitors to just one shot on target in the second half.

Furman returns to action on Saturday at 6 p.m. at UNC Asheville in a match that will be streamed live on ESPN+. The Paladins visit USC Upstate next Tuesday before returning home to host North Greenville at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 4.


Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information