Greenville, S.C. – Sophomore
Erin Houlihan and redshirt-freshman
Kyndal Anderson netted first half goals and Furman's defense held UNCG without shot on target in the second half as the Paladins blanked the Spartans, 2-0, in Southern Conference women's soccer action Friday night on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.
The victory upped the Paladins' record to 7-4-1 overall and 2-0-1 in the conference, while UNCG dropped to 5-6-1 overall and 2-1-0 in the SoCon after having its five-match winning streak halted.
"I thought we played a solid 90 minutes against a very good UNCG team," said Paladin head coach
Andrew Burr. "We're always focused first on getting the shutout and we were able to do that tonight. It's a short turnaround during conference weekends so we'll get our rest and prepare ourselves for Sunday."
Furman kicked off the scoring just 4:58 into the match when
Isabella Gutierrez played a long pass along the turf down the left side.
Jasmine Greene lined a cross into the box and Houlihan chipped her shot into the top netting to give the Paladins a 1-0 lead. The score marked the fifth goal of the season for Houlihan.
The Paladins struck from almost the same spot in the 34
th minute. Freshman
Angela Steidl played a cross inside the six-yard box from the left wing to Anderson who headed past UNCG goalkeeper Abby Buchholz to double the Furman lead. The goal represented the team-leading sixth of the season for Anderson.
Furman's defense took over in the second half, forcing the Spartans into long range shots that failed to test senior
Kellsey Weaver. The senior notched Furman's fifth shutout of the season and finished with one save. Buchholz recorded four stops for the Spartans.
The Paladins wrapped up the match with a 14-11 edge in total shots and 6-1 advantage in shots on goal, including 4-0 in the second half.
The second of five straight home contests for Furman is set for Sunday at 2 p.m. when the Paladins play host to the VMI Keydets at Stone Stadium for the "Paint it Pink" game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness as the cheer on the Paladins.
Tickets for Sunday's match are $5 and can be purchased online at FurmanPaladins.com or at the Stone Stadium entrance beginning one hour prior to kickoff.
