GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman used a strike in each half to top Campbell 2-0 in the first round of the NCAA men’s soccer championship Saturday afternoon at Eugene Stone Stadium.
Campbell finishes its season with a 13-6-3 record, while Furman improves to 19-3-0, which stands as the second most wins in the school’s history to the 21 victories set by the 1999 team.
Furman’s Chris Davis scored his fifth goal of the season at 35:35, while Haris Cekic tacked on his team-leading 10th goal in the 90th minute of play. Shea Salinas assisted both strikes for the 20th-ranked Paladins.
With the victory Furman advances to face second-seeded Wake Forest (17-2-2) in Winston Salem on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The triumph marks the fourth time the Paladins have advanced past the first round, and third time Furman will have faced Wake Forest in the NCAA tournament. Furman is 2-0 against the Demon Deacons in the event.
“We certainly had a couple very quality chances that we didn’t put on frame,” said head coach Doug Hess. “I certainly don’t fault the effort of our players and we created enough going forward in the second half to win, but we just couldn’t pull this one out.”
Campbell couldn’t capitalize on two dangerous attempts early in the first frame. Undoubtedly the best opportunity the Camels had came in the eighth minute of play. Josue Soto delivered a pass just beyond the back line of Furman’s defense that found a streaking Khalil Johnson. With only one man to beat, Johnson’s left-footed strike flew wide left to leave the game scoreless.
In the 36th minute, Davis struck a left-footed volley from Salinas’ flick inside the box that sailed into the net just inside the far post.
Campbell’s best chance to equalize came in the 68th minute after Soto fired a shot from just inside the top of the box. The 2007 A-Sun Freshman of the Year’s left-footed offering struck the crossbar and bounced back into the area but Furman’s Jon Leathers cleared the ball to keep the 1-0 lead in check.
Campbell eluded danger in the 80th minute after Furman’s Salinas dribbled through the Camels’ defense and fired a point-blank shot at keeper Aaron Johnson. Salinas’ shot found the mitts of a diving Johnson for one of his two saves in the match.
Furman capped off its day with a strike by Cekic with 41seconds left to play in the match. The freshman from London, Ontario took a cross from Salinas after Johnson was pulled from the net to cap the scoring.
Senior keeper Bryan Amos recorded two saves en route to his 10th shutout of the season. Campbell was blanked just three times all year.
Campbell ended the match edging Furman 12-10 in shots, but the Paladins finished with a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal. Furman has outscored its opponents this season by a 52-12 margin through 22 games.
Furman improves to 5-6-1 all-time in NCAA tournament matches, while the match was Campbell’s first appearance in the event.
“I believe we have been good enough in the past to play in the NCAA tournament,” said Hess. “In 2005 Stetson beat us in the A-Sun final and last year we were a quality squad. It just so happened everything worked out for us this season, which was incredibly exciting.”
#20 Furman 2, Campbell 0
Scoring:
FUR (35:35) Chris Davis (Shea Salinas)
FUR (89:19) Haris Cekic (Shea Salinas, Ban Takato)
Shots: Campbell 12, Furman 10
Corner Kicks: Furman 3, Campbell 1
Saves: Campbell 2 (Aaron Johnson 2), Furman 2 (Bryan Amos 2)
Fouls: Furman 13, Campbell 11
Yellow Card: Furman – Eliot Paschalis (62:11); Campbell – Vince Petrasso (87:37)
Records: Campbell 13-6-3, Furman 19-3-0
Courtesy: GoCamels.com