Men’s soccer ended Saturday’s game against the Furman University Paladins scoreless, with a score of 2-0. The Bucs now have a record of 2-1-1, and Furman remains undefeated in the conference season.
The first half was disappointing for the Bucs as they went into halftime scoreless and down by two. The Paladins first goal of the night was made from a penalty kick in the 24th minute. Two minutes later, the Paladins scored the second and final goal of the night with a successful one-on-one shot.
“For whatever reason, in the first half we just didn’t have it,” said head coach David Casper. “The second half we responded well, and that’s what we need to take forward.”
The second half remained scoreless for the Bucs, but improvement was made as the Bucs showed more possession and shots on goal throughout the remainder of the game. The Bucs outshot the Paladins in this second half, but with none of them connecting to the back of the net, there was no comeback.
The Bucs made great plays and were able drive the ball into traffic inside the box, but their efforts weren’t enough to get past the Paladin’s defense.
The frustration grew as both teams battled for their chance to advance the scoreboard. Five yellow cards were given, three to the Paladins and two to the Bucs, and both teams combined a total of 36 fouls.
Redshirt senior Cameron Woodfin (Old Hickory, Tennessee) and junior Bruno Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) led in the Bucs’ shots, with both combining a total of seven.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Josh Perryman (Sheffield, England) had a total of seven saves, setting a new career-high from his previous high of five.
“Tonight was tough, but if we could’ve gotten one in the second half, I think a second goal was coming,” said Casper.
