GREENVILLE, S.C. - Furman women's soccer tallied an early and a late goal in the first half to collect a 2-1Â victory over visiting Georgia Southern on Sunday afternoon in Greenville, S.C.
The first meeting between the two former SoCon foes since 2013 went in favor of the host Paladins (2-0). Georgia Southern finishes its season-opening road swing at 1-1 and will next host North Florida in its 2023 home opener on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. at Eagle Field.
Furman struck quickly in the fifth minute as Hannah Farr's cross from the left side of the box found Valentina Mosquera in front of goal, and her one-touch finish gave the home team a 1-0 lead.
The Eagles came close to finding a first-half equalizer as Simone Timm's shot from the top of the box in the 13th minute just sailed high, and Furman goalkeeper Allison Corn had to make four saves in the period.
Furman doubled its lead less than two minutes before halftime. Following a corner kick, the Paladins' Julie Gallie finished a ball that came off the post in the 44th minute for the 2-0 halftime advantage. Georgia Southern held a 9-5 edge in shots at the break.
In the second half, the Eagles outshot the Paladins by a 10-4 margin before Georgia Southern was able to break through for a goal. Sade Heinrichs' shot from distance beat Furman keeper Corn high with 36 seconds left in the period to make the score 2-1, but Furman was able to run out the final seconds to claim the victory. It was the first collegiate goal for the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Georgia Southern finished the match with a 20-9 edge in shots. Corn made seven saves in net for the Paladins, while Quinn Wilson made three saves in net for the Eagles. Georgia Southern held an 8-4 edge in corner kicks and the Eagles were whistled for eight fouls, while Furman committed nine fouls and was offsides four times on the day.
"It was a tough day for our team," Georgia Southern head women's soccer coach Chris Adams said. "We created lots of chances, but simply waited too long to have an urgency about us! The first half we conceded two big-5 goals, meaning first 5 minutes or last 5 minutes of the half, and that was the difference in the game. I was proud of our fight until the whistle to score a big-5 goal of our own, but we have to get off to a faster start our next time out. We are looking forward to being back at Eagle Field on Thursday for our home opener to play in front of Eagle Nation!"
