GREENVILLE, S.C. – A pair of late goals from sophomore forward Matthew Aurednik gave the Wofford College men's soccer team a 2-0 win, snapping Furman's eight-game unbeaten streak on Tuesday night at Stone Field.
The Terriers hit the game-winner in the 81st minute, as Aurednik scored his ninth goal of the season to put Wofford ahead 1-0. The break began on a long ball played in by senior defender Charlie Keeley that Aurdenik made contact with before the ball bounced off of a defender's shoulder. Aurednik tapped the ball over Sven Lissek high in the box. The ball bounced past both, and Aurednik would win the footrace with the keeper to touch it once more with his head to direct the ball into the back of the net.
Aurednik's goal was the first conceded by the Southern Conference Player of the Month in 714:58 minutes, shattering Furman's six-game shutout streak.
Wofford continued the game with confidence, when Aurednik struck again in the 84th minute, adding to the Terrier lead. Much like the last goal, the ball was played in on a breakaway, this time with Carlos Dominguez-Gonzalez feeding the pass. Aurednik beat a single defender on the right side of the box with a quick dodge before sliding the ball in the back side of the goal.
Wofford was outshot in the outing, 17-12. The two teams played an extremely physical game, combining for 35 fouls, earning six yellow cards in the affair. Furman's Marco Ortiz and Tony Santibanez were booked along with Wofford's Robin Hupin, Garrett Closs, Forrest Lasso and Aurednik. The yellow marked Lasso's fifth of the season, suspending the senior from Saturday's match against VMI.
The game began with the two sides feeling one another out, both playing very conservative through the first ten minutes. Furman's Bobby Edet took the match's first try in the sixth, sailing the ball high over the net. Two minutes later defender Kevin Hady would break up a run by Furman's Lewis Hawke. Hady was called for a foul and gave the Paladins a free kick, but thwarted the chance with a long clearance out of bounds. The Terriers made a counter attack off a Furman corner with a three-on-two advantage, but could not find their first goal.
The Terriers nearly saw their first goal in the 22nd minute, as Hady crossed the ball from 30 yards out on the far left into Aurednik in the box. Aurednik headed the ball just over the top of the net, barely off. Wofford had another offensive flurry minutes later. Aurednik added two more shots, while Connor Davis fired on goal as well.
With five minutes remaining in the half, the Terriers drew a free kick leading to another promising attack. Nestor Jaramillo took the free kick from just outside the box, bending it around the Furman wall and forced a diving save from Lissek. Lasso tried to punch home a goal on a header from the corner following Jaramillo's shot, but was blocked. The teams entered the half level.
The Paladins nearly scored in eight minutes into the second half on a free kick from ten yards outside the box. The free kick was played into the box for a header that found the back of the goal before being called offside by the official. Marco Ortiz struck a shot two minutes later, but a leaping punch from Garrett Closs saved the shot.
A Paladin score looked eminent in the 67th, when Bobby Edet had an open shot on goal after some defensive maneuvering, but Hady would come up large with another clearance after a rough tackle from Forrest Lasso would slow the attack. The Terriers would play for 14 more minutes before scoring the eventual game-winner.
Closs earns his third shutout of the season with the win, advancing to a 5-4-0 record.
The men's soccer team returns home to Snyder Field where they take on the Keydets of VMI on Saturday. Kick-off is set for 5 p.m.
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