Greensboro, N.C. – Yoshiya Okawa broke a scoreless tie in the 72^nd minute to propel UNC Greensboro to a 1-0 victory over Furman in Southern Conference men's soccer action Saturday evening at UNCG Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
 
After the Spartans, ranked No. 23 in the latest Top Drawer Soccer Top 25, were awarded a free kick at the top of the box, Okawa hammered a left-footed strike into the left-hand side of the net on the set piece at 71:04 for the eventual match-winning score. The goal marked the fifth of the season for Okawa.
 
Llyod Wamu Snell and Christian Kraus each tallied shots on goal in the final 18 minutes, but UNCG's Tim Baerwalde came up with saves on both attempts to keep the Paladins off the board and earn the shutout in goal. Furman found itself behind late despite several scoring opportunities in the first half. Ivan Agyaakwah had a point-blank header denied by Baerwalde in the opening 10 minutes and Kraus struck the right post before the half hour mark.
 
The Paladins finished with a 13-6 lead in total shots and 3-2 edge in shots on goal. UNCG earned seven corner kicks to just two for Furman. Aaron Salinas recorded one save for the Paladins while Baerwalde posted three stops for the Spartans.
 
The victory improved UNCG to 6-1-4 overall and 1-0-1 in the SoCon while Furman slipped to 4-3-2 overall and 0-1 in league play.
 
Furman returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Clinton, S.C., for a 7 p.m. kickoff versus Presbyterian.