Portland, Ore. – Freshman Braden Dunham scored from nearly 40 yards out in the 75^th minute to help No. 16 seed Furman stun eighth-seeded Portland, 1-0, in the quarterfinal round Friday night at Merlo Field as the Paladins booked the school's first trip to the NCAA Division I Men's College Cup.
 
The Paladins will play in the national semifinals on Friday, December 12, at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., against the winner of tomorrow's Elite Eight clash between Maryland and Washington. Game times and ticket information will be announced on FurmanPaladins.com and Furman social media accounts when available.
 
With less than 16 minutes remaining in regulation, Dunham dribbled across the midfield stripe and caught the Portland goalkeeper off his line with a left-footed chip that sailed over his head and into the right-hand corner at the 74:40 mark to stun the home crowd and give the Paladins a 1-0 lead.
 
Furman's defense limited Portland's scoring opportunities after the goal until the final two minutes of the match. Goalkeeper Ivan Horvat pushed Diego Roasas' shot over the bar at the 88:04 mark and Sebastian Hernandez missed wide off the ensuing corner kick. On its final chance at an equalizer, Portland's Alex Waggoner won the ball in the box and sent a looping header towards the far corner with 30 seconds on the clock, but Furman freshman Luke Munson cleared the ball off the line and Horvat made a diving effort to punch the ball out of danger as a Pilot forward dove to send a header towards the empty net. The attacker was whistled for a foul and time expired before the Pilots could get back in the attacking third of the field.
 
"I can't say enough about these players," said Paladin head coach Doug Allison, who notched his 365^th career victory in the quarterfinal triumph. "To come on the road in this environment and get the victory is unbelievable. What a goal by Braden! It took about 30 minutes to go in, but that's the kind of goal it takes to win a game like this."
 
Portland (14-2-4) controlled much of the possession in the first half, but Horvat made three saves, including a sliding effort at the top of the 18-yard box to deny Anton Hjalmarsson a goal in the 20th minute. After the Furman defense saved another goal-bound shot off the line, sophomore Wilfer Bustamante registered the Paladins' only shot on target in the opening 45 half with a low, driving strike that was saved in the 26th minute.
 
Furman (16-1-5) came out on the attack early in the second half with Gabe Cox nearly breaking the deadlock only to see his shot rattle the right post. Portland responded by striking the woodwork and firing two shots just inches over the bar in the first 25 minutes of the second half. 
 
The Pilots' Joe Highfield produced the best chance of the first 70 minutes with a point-blank header at 69:53 that Horvat turned away for his fourth save of the night. Landon Hill countered by hitting a dipping shot across the box and off the cross bar just one minute later before Dunham netted his seventh goal of the season to break the deadlock.
 
"I didn't really have an option to pass," said Dunham. "I looked at the line, looked at the goalkeeper, and I gave it a rip. Tried my best to hit it on target and was fortunate enough to have it go in."
 
Horvat finished with seven saves on the night to secure his eighth clean sheet of the season and the 10^th shutout of the year for the Paladins. Miguel-Angel Hernandez recorded two saves for the Pilots.
 
Portland posted a 17-11 advantage in total shots, a 9-3 margin in shots on goal, and 9-4 edge in corner kicks earned. After registering just one shot in the opening half, Furman totaled 10 over the final 45 minutes.
 
The Paladins, who stretched their nation-best unbeaten run to 14 matches, are just the second Southern Conference team to reach the NCAA Division I College Cup and the first to do so since former league member Davidson accomplished the feat in 1992.
 
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