Aug. 21, 2004

GREENVILLE, S.C. - Richard Jata scored two goals to lead Furman to a 3-0 victory over Georgia State in exhibition soccer action Saturday afternoon at Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium. Jata, a freshman from Port Richey, Fla., put Furman in the lead in the 25th minute. A Paladin cross into the box was punched out of the box by Panther keeper Kristian Gonzalez. Jata collected the ball and fired a shot past Gonzalez, who was off his line, from 22 yards. After leading 1-0 at the halftime break, Josh Villalobos extended Furman's adavantage. Villalobos used a quick touch to his right to create space and buried a shot in the righthand corner of the net from 20 yards at 81:19. Jata capped the scoring in the 83rd minute with his second goal of the match. Freshman Shea Salinas dribbled towards goal from the top of the box and slotted a through ball to Jata on the right side. Jata deposited the shot past Gonzalez for the final 3-0 score. Furman outshot Georgia State 14-10, but recorded a 5-1 advantage in saves. The Panthers held an 8-6 edge in corner kicks. Furman goalkeepers Alex Maslow, John Hanley and Bryan Amos combined for the shutout. Maslow tallied three saves in 45 minutes of work. The Paladins return to action when they visit Wake Forest for an exhibition match on August 28, before returning home for the regular season opener versus Mercer on September 1, at 7:00 p.m.