Oct. 16, 2009

Box Score

Statesboro, Ga. - Sophomore Jessica Smith recorded her fourth shutout in the last five matches to lead Furman past Georgia Southern 2-0 in Southern Conference women's soccer action on Friday afternoon at Eagle Field in Statesboro, Ga.

With its fourth win in its last five outings and second straight road victory, Furman improved to 10-4-0 overall and 4-3-0 in SoCon play. The 2-0 victory helped the Paladins reach double digits wins for the 13th consecutive season. Georgia Southern remained winless, falling to 0-14-0 overall and 0-7-0 inside the conference.

"Its always tough to get a victory on the road in Southern Conference play and each game is important with only the top four teams going to the SoCon Tournament this season," said Furman coach Andrew Burr. "I'm proud of the way we took advantage of our chances in the first half and got the job done today."

Furman produced all the offense it would need during a two minute stretch late in the first half. Georgia Southern was whistled for a foul at 35:20 when Furman's Katya Gokhman was taken down by an Eagle defender in the box. Senior Margaret Antonik converted from the penalty spot to give Furman a 1-0 lead on her first goal of the season. At the 37-minute mark, Laura White delivered a cross to the far post that was deflected into the net for a GSU defender for an own goal to give the Paladins a 2-0 lead.

Smith, who has notched five shutouts this season, stopped three shots to earn the clean sheet for Furman. Lauren Santos took the loss in goal for Georgia Southern. The Eagles outshot Furman 11-6, but the Paladins held a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Furman plays its final regular season road game on Sunday when it travels to Davidson for a key SoCon showdown. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.