Greenville, S.C. – Redshirt-sophomore
Kyndal Anderson scored in the 106
th minute as Furman rallied to down Mercer, 2-1, in double overtime Friday evening in the Paladins' season opener on Seagraves Field at Stone Soccer Stadium.
With less than five minutes remaining in the second overtime period and the match knotted at 1-1, the Paladins drew a foul 15 yards beyond the right corner of the box on a run by
Jasmine Greene.
Ellie Laxer served her free kick towards the near post and
Isabella Gutierrez deflected a bouncing ball towards Anderson who nodded a shot past Mercer goalkeeper Jordyn Ebert at the 105:41 mark to set off the Paladins' celebration.
The victory got Furman's season started on the right foot as the Paladins moved to 1-0-0 overall and 1-0-0 in the SoCon. Mercer dropped to 3-7-1 overall and 0-1-0 in league play.
"It was just big for our team, after 480 days, to get back out here and play a real game," said Paladin head coach
Andrew Burr, the winningest head coach in SoCon history. "We struggled with some fitness issues, having to play 106 minutes, but our kids battled through and got the three points tonight. It was a great way to start the season."
After controlling possession for much of the first half, Furman found itself down a goal at intermission. With just 3:01 left in the opening half, Mercer's Brie Pavol served a free kick towards the far post that Payton Schurr headed into the six-yard box. Elizabeth Hargis won the fight to the ball and punched in her shot to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.
The Paladins pulled even just past the hour mark.
Nieva Gaither split two defenders down the center of the field and was taken down from behind in the box to win Furman a penalty kick. Laxer, a senior from Tampa, Fla., stepped to the spot and drilled her attempt into the corner at the 61:24 mark to knot the match at 1-1.
Both teams had their chances to find a match-winning goal as Furman forced Ebert into five saves after halftime and the Bears forced Paladin freshman
Addison Corn into three stops in the second overtime period before Anderson delivered the winning score. Ebert finished with eight saves and Corn stopped five shots in just over 60 minutes of action.
Furman managed a 19-13 advantage in total shots and 10-6 edge in shots on target. Mercer earned just one corner kick, while Furman compiled nine.
The Paladins return to action on Saturday at 2 p.m. when they host The Citadel Bulldogs at Stone Stadium. Fans can watch the match on ESPN+ and follow live statistics through StatBroadcast at FurmanPaladins.com.
