Greenville, S.C. – Washington netted a pair of first-half goals to grab a 2-0 halftime lead en route to a 3-1 victory over No. 16 seed Furman in the NCAA Men's College Cup semifinals Friday night at First Horizon Stadium in Cary, N.C.
With the victory, the Huskies (15-6-2) advanced to face the winner of Saint Louis and No. 15 seed N.C. State in the national championship match on Monday at 7:30 p.m. The Paladins, who saw their 14-match unbeaten run come to an end, finished the season at 16-2-5 after reaching the College Cup for the first time in program history.
"I'm so proud of these student-athletes," said Paladin head coach
Doug Allison, following the final game of his 31-year career at Furman. "It's not just about this season. It's about 31 years, the alumni, our fans, and this great university. It's about them going on to be great husbands and fathers. I'm just proud to be their coach."
After controlling most of the possession in the opening half hour, Washington broke the deadlock at the 31:16 mark. Alex Hall, after entering the match just moments earlier, slid a pass between two Paladin defenders to set Zach Ramsey free in the box and the Husky slotted his shot into the left-hand corner against a stranded goalkeeper
Ivan Horvat.
The Huskies doubled their advantage in the 40
th minute. A Furman defender chased down a loose ball near the top of the box but was dispossessed by Charlie Kosakoff who fired a shot past Horvat at 39:32 for his 11
th goal of the campaign.
Furman, held without a shot for over 40 minutes, created a pair of chances late in the half, but
Wilfer Bustamante's chance was smothered at the right post and
Luke Hutzell's shot from the center of the box went wide of the right post in the final minute of the half.
With the Paladins pushing to halve the deficit in the final 10 minutes, Washington capped its victory when Asher Hestad capitalized on his chance off a pass from Kosakoff to up the margin to 3-0 with 4:39 left in regulation. Hutzell helped Furman avoid the shutout with a right-footed volley less than two minutes later off assists from
Connor Dunnigan and
Braden Dunham.
Washington finished the match with a 24-6 advantage in total shots and 12-2 edge in shots on goal. Jadon Bowton stopped one shot to earn the victory in goal for the Huskies while Horvat notched a season-high eight saves for the Paladins.
Hutzell and Dunham were selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team following the conclusion of the tournament.
Allison, who led Furman to 11 Southern Conference regular season titles, 11 SoCon Tournament crowns, two Elite Eight appearances, and the 2025 College Cup, completed his career with a 365-175-77 record.
Minuteman Press is the Official Sponsor of Furman Athletics press releases.
