Lynchburg, Va. – Jayden Ramos scored in the 81
st minute to help lift Liberty to a 1-0 victory over Furman and snap the Paladins' seven-match unbeaten run in Southern Conference men's soccer play Saturday evening at Osborne Field.
Ramos received the ball in his own half and dribbled down the left channel before cutting inside of a defender at the top of the box and unleashing a low, right-footed shot into the lower left-hand corner from 21 yards out at the 80:07 mark for the lone goal of the match. Liberty sophomore Dan Rose stopped nine shots on the night, including six in the first half, to pick up the victory for the Flames.
Furman got the better of the first-half chances with a 10-5 edge in shots in the opening 45 minutes of play, but the Flames (3-4-2, 1-1-0 SoCon) outshot the Paladins by a 6-3 margin over the final 45. The Paladins'
Aaron Salinas, who finished with seven saves, turned away back-to-back chances in the middle of the second half prior to Ramos' perfectly placed strike that proved to be the difference in the match.
Wesley Siegel totaled three shots on target for the Paladins, who managed a 13-11 margin in total shots and 9-8 advantage in shots on goal.
Ryan Reid and
Grayson Travis forced Rose into saves in the opening two minutes of the second half before the Liberty defense held Furman without a shot on target until Siegel's attempt in the 83
rd minute.
Furman (3-2-4, 1-1-0 SoCon) travels to Greensboro, N.C., next Saturday to face SoCon rival UNC Greensboro in a 6 p.m. kickoff at UNCG Stadium.
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