Skip To Main Content

Furman University

Christian Kraus
1
VMI VMI (5-14-0, 0-5-0)
4
Winner Furman FUR (9-5-3, 2-2-1)
VMI VMI
(5-14-0, 0-5-0)
1
Final
4
Furman FUR
(9-5-3, 2-2-1)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
VMI VMI 0 1 1
Furman FUR 2 2 4

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | By: Jordan Caskey

Kraus' Hat Trick Fuels Furman To SoCon Quarterfinal Victory, 4-1

Paladins Visit Wofford For Sunday's SoCon Semis At 2 P.M.

Spartanburg, S.C. – Furman's Christian Kraus netted a hat trick to lead the third-seeded Paladins to a 4-1 victory over No. 6 seed VMI in the quarterfinal round of the Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championship on Friday afternoon at Snyder Field in Spartanburg, S.C.
 
With the win, the Paladins (9-5-3) advanced to Sunday's semifinal round and will face No. 2 seed Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C. Kickoff at Snyder Field is set for 2 p.m. and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+. The winner will advance to next weekend's SoCon finals to face the winner of Sunday's matchup between No. 2 seed ETSU and No. 5 seed Mercer.

"I'm really happy to get a win this time of year and pleased to see Christian Kraus get a hat trick," said Paladin head coach Doug Allison. "Every game in the postseason is tough and were were able to advance and play a lot of player. It's a short turnaround with us playing on Sunday but we are excited for the opportunity."
 
Furman grabbed the lead in the 24th minute when senior Tommy Redhead dribbled through the midfielder and slid a pass to the right to setup Kraus behind the VMI defense. The redshirt-junior lined a right-footed strike into the left-hand corner for his team-leading eighth goal of the season.
 
After Kraus had a second goal waved off due to the offside flag with under two minutes left in the first half, the Paladins doubled their lead with just six seconds remaining. Furman won a corner kick and freshman Landon Hill rushed to beat the clock. He lined his set piece towards the top of the six-yard box and sophomore defender Slade Starnes, a second team All-SoCon choice, drilled a low header to the right side to beat the VMI goalkeeper.
 
Less than four minutes after the restart, Kraus extended the lead to 3-0 on his second goal of the afternoon. Starnes won the battle for a loose ball in the box and redirected the ball towards Kraus at the left post The Fenton, Mo., native punched a shot past VMI goalkeeper Zack Murphy at the 47:42 mark. 
 
VMI won a penalty kick in the 49th minute, but Furman's Aaron Salinas made a diving stop to preserve the three-goal lead. In the 57th minute, Caleb Johnson played a pass wide to Kraus on the right wing and the forward hammered a shot into the left-side netting to complete his hat trick and register his 10th goal of the season. The hat trick was the first by a Paladin since Alfredo Diaz-Santillan netted three goals in a 3-0 win at Winthrop last season.
 
The Keydets (5-14-0) ended the shutout bid at 65:06 when Malcolm McIntosh headed in Alexei Royar's free kick to bring the final scoreline to 4-1.
 
Salinas stopped one shot in 65 minutes of action to earn the victory for the Paladins. Murphy turned away eight shots in 90 minutes of work for the Keydets.
 
Furman finished the match with a 24-5 advantage in total shots, including a 12-3 edge in shots on goal. The victory improved the Paladins to 40-1-1 all-time versus VMI.
 
2023 SoCon Men's Soccer Championship 
Quarterfinals, Friday, Nov. 3
Campus sites 
Match 1: No. 5 Mercer 3, No. 4 UNCG 1 (Johnson City, Tenn.)
Match 2: No. 3 Furman 4, No. 6 VMI 1 (Spartanburg, S.C.) 
Championship Semifinals, Sunday, Nov. 5
Campus sites (at higher seeds)
Match 3: No. 5 Mercer at No. 1 ETSU, 3 p.m. (Johnson City, Tenn.)
Match 4: No. 3 Furman at No. 2 Wofford, 2 p.m. (Spartanburg, S.C.) 
Finals, Saturday, Nov. 11 or Sunday, Nov. 12
Campus site (at highest remaining seed)
Match 5: Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner 
 
Print Friendly Version