BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The No. 7 Gardner-Webb (5-1-0) men's soccer team was dealt its first defeat of the season after falling to No. 9 Furman by the final of 4-1 on Friday evening inside Greene Harbison Stadium.
The Runnin' Bulldogs held a 14-10 advantage on total shots, but each team put seven shots on goal. Graduate midfielder Robbie Lyons posted the only goal for GWU while leading the Dawgs with four shots on the night.
Furman jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as goals in the 3rd and 4th minutes put Gardner-Webb in an unfamiliar position, trailing for the first time all year. Ryan Reid put the Paladins ahead early after kicking in a deflected save before Caleb Johnson padded the lead with a goal of his own just 67 seconds later.
The Runnin' Bulldogs defense began to settle in after that as they tried to chip away at the deficit before halftime. However, a pair of shots on goal were redirected by the Furman keeper, sending the game into the intermission with the visitors leading by two scores.
Gardner-Webb was finally able to break through on the scoreboard in the 65th minute as Lyons connected on a penalty kick goal while trimming the lead to 2-1.
However, Furman picked up two goals down the stretch while limiting GWU to just two shots the rest of the way before picking up the 4-1 road win.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will return to action on Tuesday, September 16, traveling to Nashville, Tenn. to face Lipscomb in a non-conference bout. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
