Birmingham, Ala. – Junior
Reese DeJong recorded a season-high 10 saves to help the Furman women's soccer team to a 1-1 draw at Southern Conference rival Samford Friday night on Shauna Yelton Field.
The deadlock moved Furman to 8-3-3 overall and 3-0-2 in league play while Samford moved to 6-2-5 overall and 3-0-2 in the SoCon.
"Tonight's match was Southern Conference soccer at its best," said Paladin head coach
Andrew Burr. "Both teams battled hard, and every chance was tough to come by with two excellent defenses and two very good goalkeepers on the field. We're excited to get back on our home field and prepare for Thursday's match."
Furman struck first in the 40
th minute on
Alyssa England's first goal of the season. Freshman
Katie Villiger lofted a cross into the box that
Caroline Moseley nodded into the path of England. The senior calmly slotted her shot into the left-hand corner at 39:23 to put the Paladins in front.
Samford found the equalizer with just over 20 minutes left on the clock. The Bulldogs won a corner kick and Bekah Allen served the set piece to the top of the six-yard box for Samantha De Luca to knock into the right side of the net at 69:35.
The Paladins threatened to regain the lead with under seven minutes to play when
Riley O'Bryan found herself in a one-versus-one with Peyton Hull, but the Samford goalkeeper smothered the shot in the middle of the box and
Maddie Massie was ruled offside when she tapped in the loose ball.
DeJong stopped 10 of the 11 shots she faced to move to 7-3-3 on the season while Hull turned away six shots for the Bulldogs. Samford outshot the Paladins 25-15 and held an 11-7 edge in shots on goal.
Furman returns to Seagraves Field and Stone Stadium on Thursday, October 15, to host UNCG on Breast Cancer Awareness Night present by Bon Secours St. Francis Health System. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Minuteman Press is the Official Sponsor of Furman Athletics press releases.
