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Men’s Soccer Ties Furman, 1-1

Harrison Delbridge
Photo by Bill McCarter

Oct. 15, 2012. GREENVILLE, S.C. – Appalachian State University men’s soccer grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second half, but was unable to keep the shutout, settling for a 1-1 draw with Furman Saturday night at Stone Soccer Stadium.

The Mountaineers find their third draw of the season, moving to 4-6-3 on the season and 0-2-1 in the Southern Conference. This is the second straight season the Apps and the Paladins have played to a tie, battling for a scoreless deadlock a season ago.

After a scoreless opening half, the teams had similar starts to the first 45 minutes. Both Appalachian and Furman recorded two shots, while App State goalkeeper Danny Free and opposing goalkeeper Doug Ryan recorded two saves apiece.

The Mountaineers got on the scoreboard first in the 56th minute as sophomore midfielder Luke Adams fed a free kick into the opposing box and junior defender Harrison Delbridge used his height to head in the goal off the cross. For Delbridge, the goal was the first of the season and fifth of his career.

Furman (9-2-3, 1-1-1) responded in the 68th minute as Michael Gandier got behind the App State backline off a pass from Clint Ritter. Gandier poked in a shot past Free for his second goal of the season, evening the score at 1-1.

In the two overtime periods, both teams could not find a lot of offense as neither team recorded a shot on goal. Free closed out the match with seven saves, including five in the second half, keeping the Mountaineers alive. Delbridge, senior forward Boubacar Toure and freshman Alex Herbst troubled Ryan once, giving the Mountaineers three shots on goal.

The Apps return home on Tuesday, Oct. 16 to play in their final non-conference match of the season as they host Belmont. That match from the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex is slated for 6 p.m.