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Mercer Outlasts Furman In Overtime Thriller 2-1
Sept. 1, 2004
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Andrew Jones' goal in the 97th minute completed Mercer's comeback from an early 1-0 deficit as the Bears downed the Furman Paladins 2-1 in men's soccer action Tuesday night before a crowd of 803 at Stone Soccer Stadium. Tied 1-1 in the first overtime period, Mercer's Vicinte Arze beat the Furman defense down the left side of the box and slotted a pass by Paladin goalkeeper Alex Maslow to Jones who deposited the pass to down Furman in the season opener for both teams. Furman came out strong in the first half, controlling play and taking a 1-0 lead at the 14 minute mark. Sean Murray fed Josh Villalobos with a pass in the box on the right side. Villalobos sent a cross to the top of the six-yard box where freshman Richard Jata powered a shot by Mercer keeper Martin Walker. Mercer began to put pressure on the Furman defense in the second half. Trailing 1-0 with just over ten minutes remaining, Mercer's Del Olaoye found space in the box to fire shot at Maslow that deflected to Alan Colgan who netted the equalizer at 79:59. After ending regulation at 1-1, Furman looked to bounce back for the victory less than six minutes into ovetime when Murray took a through pass for a-one-versus one with the keeper, but Murray's shot from 16 yards missed wide right. Jones and the Bears capitalized with the goal at 96:59 to improve to 1-0 on the season, while the Paladins open the campaign 0-1. A physical match saw nine yellow cards issued, including six to the Paladins. Furman held a 37-19 edge in fouls. Mercer outshot Furman 17-14, but Furman held a 5-2 advantage on corner kicks. Both teams recieved outstanding efforts from their goalkeepers in the season opener. Martin recorded seven saves, including a leaping save on a Jordan Mann shot in the first half that Martin guided over the cross bar. Maslow totaled ten saves for the Paladins to hold Mercer off until the 80th minute goal. Furman returns to action on Sunday when it plays host to nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina at Stone Stadium beginning at 6:00 p.m.
