Furman Men’s Soccer Downs No. 19 Duke, 4-3; Tucker Earns First Win As Paladin Head Coach

DURHAM, N.C. (Furman Athletics) - Furman rallied from a 2-1 deficit to earn a 4-3 victory over No. 19 Duke and hand head coach Brandon Tucker his first career win in non-conference men’s soccer action Thursday night at Koskinen Stadium.

Furman (1-1-1) took the lead less than five minutes into the match when Mason Peacock played Ryan Reid behind the Duke defense down the left flank and the forward beat Duke goalkeeper Max Deisenhofer to the left side of the net at the 4:18 mark. In the 11^th minute Furman sophomore Luke Munson suffered a season-ending injury and the Blue Devils Ulfur Bjornsson scored less than 40 seconds later to level the match. Bjornsson netted his second goal of the night in the 19^th minute to put Duke in front, 2-1.

In the 31^st minute Trip Campbell and Luke Hutzell teamed up to feed Grayson Travis who ripped a shot into the upper left-hand corner from outside the box to even the match at 2-2. Furman regained the advantage at 67:25 on Diego Hernandez’s third goal in three matches. Connor Stout played a long ball from the right wing to the left side of the box and Reid centered a pass to Hernandez for the one-timer from the middle of the box that put the Paladins in front.

Furman doubled its lead in the 76^th minute as Wilfer Bustamante pounced on a loose ball along the goal line on the left side of the box and slid a pass through the box to Ryan Wagner to tap into the right side of the net at 75:04. Tucker Smith pulled a goal back for Duke at 86:07, but the Paladins successfully defended a pair of Blue Devil corner kicks in the final minute to secure the victory.

“I’m extremely proud of the effort and execution the team showed tonight,” said Tucker. “They showed resolve in a very hard moment. This group continues to show growth and love for one another that makes them a special group. We will celebrate this one tonight but prepare for a very good UNC Wilmington team tomorrow. This one was for Luke Munson!”

Aaron Salinas played all 90 minutes in goal and totaled four saves to earn the win for Furman. Deisenhofer recorded two saves for the Blue Devils.

Duke (2-1-0) managed a 15-11 advantage in total shot attempts and 7-6 edge in shots on goal. The Blue Devils earned seven corner kicks to just one for the Paladins.

Furman travels to Wilmington, N.C., for a 4 p.m. kickoff versus UNCW on Sunday before visiting Davidson on Friday, September 4. The Paladins return to Stone Soccer Stadium to host Garner-Webb on September 9 at 6 p.m.

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