LEXINGTON, Va. - The VMI soccer team gave up two goals in the first half as they fell , 2-0, to 10th-ranked Furman in a Southern Conference clash at Patchin Field on Saturday.

With the loss, the Keydets fell to 2-9-4 overall and 2-5 in the Southern Conference. Furman improved to 14-2-1 overall and 7-0 in SoCon play. Furman also clinched the SoCon regular season soccer title.

It didn't take Furman long to get on the board as senior forward Anthony Esquivel gathered a pass from junior forward Sergei Raad and fired the ball past VMI junior goalkeeper Morgan Harris (Powell, Ohio/ Worthington Killbourne) to give the Paladins a 1-0 lead after 12:32 of play.

Furman scored again 10:35 later when senior Clint Hill fired the ball into the back of the net to give the Paladins a 2-0 lead. Freshman defenseman Drew Moor and sophomore midfielder Clint Dempsey each had an assist on the play.

Furman maintained that lead until the intermission. The Paladins held a 9-2 shot advantage in the first half.

The Keydets managed to get six shots off in the second half while holding Furman without a shot, but sophomore goalkeeper John Hanley held strong, gathering four saves while not allowing a goal. It was Furman's sixth straight shutout.

"Furman is a good team," stated VMI head coach Stephen Ross. "We created a couple of opportunities and couldn't put them away. That's the best we have played against Furman in a while. I was proud of the effort. We played with good intensity. We just couldn't get a couple of breaks."

Scoring By Halves 1 2 F Records
Furman 2 0 2 (14-2-1, 7-0)
VMI 0 0 0 (2-6-4, 2-5)

Scoring Summary
Anthony Esquivel (Furman) 12:32 (Sergei Raad)
Clint Hill (Furman) 23:07 (Drew Moor, Clint Dempsey)

Goalkeeper Saves - Furman 4, VMI 0

Shots - Furman 9, VMI 8

Corner Kicks - Furman 1, VMI 4

Fouls - Furman 12, VMI 19


-VMI-