Furman 1 - 0 College of Charleston Before the match, the two teams joined hands around the center circle, and a statement dedicating the rest of the season to Gray Griffin was read over the PA, followed by a moment of silence... The Furman players wore black armbands embroidered with "GG #12." And in fitting tribute, the Paladins fought out a tough win---Anthony Esquivel heading in the matchwinner on 85 minutes after the C of C keeper blocked Clint Dempsey's initial header from a Sergei Raad cross. Man-of-the-Match honors had to go to (sr.) Andy Kidd, who was impenetrable at right back, shutting down attackers who often outsized him. A close contender was 6'2" soph. Luke Barbour, who stepped up to a huge task in filling Gray Griffin's position. Playing his first full match of the season, and in a new position, Luke turned in an outstanding performance---honoring Gray by fighting for his team with heart and strength, the way Gray would have done. The injured Josh Villalobos and Sean Murray were present, but Chefik Simo remains in the Greenville hospital, undergoing various surgical treatment, and our prayers are still with him. Junior fwd Scott Hoch also missed the match, having rolled an ankle in training the previous day. After a lengthy delay due to having no referees, a crack squad of officials finally arrived and the match was underway. Neither team threatened to score too early in the contest, with possession fairly divided. Most of the College's positive moves flowed through jr. mid Daniel Azcarate (#9), a talented Colombian. However, the few chances that fell to the Cougars were squandered--as a goal-mouth scramble was resolved by the Furman defense, a close-range header was missed, and a golden opportunity on a through pass into the area was blazed over (I don't remember which cougars were involved in these...) Furman, who in truth had fewer clear chances, had to wait until five minutes from time to gain the decisive goal---springing as it did from a cross by Raad, server of the game-winning ball in the last 3 wins. Esquivel (I think) played Raad through on the right edge of the box, and he dribbled to the endline before lofting a high cross to the far post, creating a mirror image of his last-gasp cross in the OT win over App State. This time, however, it was Clint Dempsey instead of Drew Moor who rose for the header, only to have soph keeper Keith Wiggans block the ball into the air. Esquivel was there to nod in the loose ball uncontested. The point that comes to mind for me is that the Paladins have scored game winning goals from Raad crosses in the last 3 victories---yet Raad usually spends most of the match dribbling around and generating very few shots (not to mention goals) for himself. Then, near the end, he'll finally put in a cross, and a goal results. Let's put 2 and 2 together, here. In a parallel case, Dempsey's effectiveness has been inversely proportional to the number of times he touches the ball. In other words, his extended dribbling displays usually lose the ball, while his goals and assists have all come from one-touch passes or shots. (Why am I venting about this? Therapy, I guess.) Anyway, the more skilled Furman side came out on top, which was a good step toward rebuilding the season's strategy after the personal losses the team has experienced. --King Eric
another great match report. Thanks. And as not to offend anyone, I hope. I agree with you on Dempsey. I've noticed that he could be very effective if he played the ball quickly and got it back. Or instead of dribbling in circles, take the ball towards the goal and fire shots or get the ball out wide. He's very talented, but he could be even better.