Furman wins 3-0 against non-conference Lipscomb. I wasn't at the match, but goals came at 10' Clint Dempsey (soph mid) 42' Richie Craven (fr fwd) 56' Sergei Raad (jr fwd) I'll get a report from friends who were there... --King Eric Meanwhile, this (typically bland report) is from the Paladins' site... >GREENVILLE, SC -- Clint Dempsey scored a goal and assisted on another as No. 14 Furman defeated Lipscomb 3-0 Monday night at a rain-soaked Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium. Furman opened the scoring at the 10:13 mark as Dempsey connected with Sergei Raad on a on-two combination. Dempsey's left-footed shot beat Lipscomb goalkeeper J.D. Murphy. The Paladins extended their lead with just over two minutes left in the first half as Richie Craven netted his second goal of the season. The play was set up as Wes Windsor sent a long ball to Dempsey just outside of the penalty box. Dempsey flicked the ball to a streaking Craven who slotted the ball past Murphy from 12 yards out. Raad completed the Furman scoring attack at the 56:00 mark. Windsor sent a cross to the near post that was flicked to the far post by Drew Moor. Raad volleyed the ball into the net for his second goal of the season. Furman outshot the Bison 16-7 on the night. Paladin goalkeeper John Hanley made four second half saves to record his fifth shoutout of the season. "We are very happy to get a win under these conditions," said head coach Doug Allison. "Now we will concentrate on our match with South Carolina on Sunday." With the win, Furman improves to 11-2-1. The loss drops Lipscomb to 2-11. Furman returns to action on Sunday as it travels to face in-state rival No. 9 South Carolina.
WHO? WHO???? What is Lipscomb, are they a college or a rec group or a business? Are they Division 1? This sounds like pretty soft scheduling. I guess a win is a win, congratulations.
more info... Lipscomb is a Division I Christian university of 2,600 students in Nashville, TN. I never heard of it before. And Furman should have beat them more soundly. According to my reliable resources in attendance at the match, the first goal was not a "one-two combination" between Dempsey and Raad. Rather, a shot blasted into the box deflected off of a clump of players and bounced out for Dempsey, who volleyed it into the net. (It's kind of annoying when the stats people think that the second to last player to touch a ball automatically gets an assist. Like in the Charleston game---Raad crossed a ball, Dempsey's header, definitely a shot on goal, was blocked, and Esquivel knocked in the rebound. And the announcer said, "Goal scored by Anthony Esquivel... Goal was assisted by Clint Dempsey." Anyway, you never can trust these website summaries... Sorry for the rant.) The third goal, scored by Raad, was also inaccurately described in the Paladin report. Wes Windsor's cross went to the far post, where Drew Moor headed it on goal to the opposite post. The ball was already going in when Raad gave it a little extra help, recording his second goal of the season. My observation is this: Raad has TWO goals this season, though he generally plays 75-85 minutes per game and has missed only one (due to a red card). Freshman Richie Craven (who scored the second goal after a pass from Dempsey) also has two goals, having played about 10 minutes (or less) per game, and not playing at all in 3 or 4. I won't belabor the point, but it should be obvious that Raad needs to step it up (perhaps it's more obvious to those who have seen Furman play...) --King Eric
Re: more info... According to Soccerratings.com Lipscomb is the worst team in Division 1 ranked at 202. What I'm wondering is why NC State didn't schedule them?
Re: Re: more info... NCSU knows better than to schedule the worst D1 team, they know they aren't good enough to beat them and want to save themselves from that embarrassment. The AD at NCSU must really hate soccer. It would be so easy to get a big time coach there and that program rolling. Maybe the AD is just trying to get rid of it all together...
Re: Lipscomb I have it from a source (unverified) that this is the first year for Lipscomb in Division I. According to one spectator at Monday's match, some of their players showed real quality. Since they beat Wofford this season, I wouldn't think they are actually the worst D-I team in the country. -- King Eric
Those annoying stats people actually have a method to the madness, at least those in professional sports. If a ball does not change possession, ie. Dempsey's header that was saved and then shot in by Esquivel, then an assist is credited. If Dempsey's shot even hit the post or defender, yet did not change possession it's still considered an assist. I know it's stupid, but it's how the MLS and WUSA work. I don't know about the international game, but that's how the pro leagues in the US do it. Also, it's always hard to judge how good a team is. Furman has notoriously played up or down to their competition, as do many other schools. And in the college game, with many weak defenses and keepers (I'm not saying Furman has either), any shutout win is a good win. Plus, every team schedules a game they call a rest game or a card game, that gives players the chance to sit out if they are injured or if they are in yellow card suspension. Furman's got a big one this weekend. If I weren't headed out of town, I would be there. King Eric, you'll have to give us a detailed report. Thanks.