Greenville, S.C. – Junior
Wilfer Bustamante scored his first career hat trick and the first by a Paladin in nearly three years to help Furman rally past Virginia Tech, 3-2, in non-conference men's soccer action Friday evening on Seagraves Field at Stone Soccer Stadium.
Bustamante, a Greenville, S.C., native and J.L. Mann High School product, rallied the Paladins from a 1-0 deficit with goals in the 40
th, 60
th, and 65
th minutes to secure the victory and become the first Paladin to score a hat trick since Christian Kraus netted three goals in a 4-1 win over VMI in the SoCon Tournament on November 3, 2023.
"I'm really proud of our team and the fight we showed tonight," said Paladin head coach
Brandon Tucker. "This was a good win against a top ACC and region opponent. It was great to see Wilfer get our first hat trick in several years, and we are so thankful for all the fans and students who came out to support us. We can't wait to see everyone out here on Tuesday night for the Gray Griffin Game."
Virginia Tech took the early 1-0 lead after being awarded a penalty kick following video review that determined that a pass into the box struck the arm of a Furman player. Yanis Belatrache converted the spot kick to open the scoring at 2:06.
With less than six minute to play in the first half, Furman triggered a VAR review and was awarded a penalty kick for a foul of
Luke Hutzell in the box. Bustamante finished the penalty kick at 39:01 to level the score at 1-1.
In the 60
th minute,
Braden Dunham ripped a low shot from the left side of the box that caromed off Virginia Tech goalkeeper Diego Dauzier and Bustamante tapped in the rebound at the right post to give Furman a 2-1 lead at 59:06. Bustamante doubled the Paladins' advantage at 64:32 off an assist from
Wesley Siegel for his third goal of the night at seventh of the season.
The Hokies kept their hopes alive on a Dagur Traustason goal at 77:51, but Virginia Tech's Ethan Page was sent off for his second yellow card with 2:54 left following a foul of Furman goalkeeper
Ivan Horvat, and the Paladins held on for the 3-2 verdict.
Furman managed a 14-10 edge in total shots and an 8-5 margin in shots on goal. Horvat recorded three saves to earn the victory in goal for the Paladins while Dauzier stopped five shots for the Hokies.
The Paladins are back in action on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium Tuesday, October 20, when they host USC Upstate in the annual Gray Griffin Memorial Match. Admission is free and gates open at 5 p.m. for the 6 p.m. kickoff.
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