GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Despite a converted penalty kick from junior Hunter Morgan, the Virginia Military Institute men's soccer team slipped 3-1 on the road against Furman University Saturday afternoon at the Paladins' Stone Soccer Stadium in Southern Conference action.
Morgan, who has scored twice in the Keydets' last three games, became the first VMI player to convert a penalty kick since Matt Seinfeld did so against Campbell University on Sept. 29, 2012.
Three different players scored for Furman (6-4-3, 2-3-1 SoCon) as Clint Ritter and Bobby Edet scored in the first half while Lewis Hawke notched a marker in the second stanza. Tyler Peoples had the only assist on the day, aiding in Ritter's goal.
VMI (1-12-1, 0-6-0 SoCon) got five saves from junior keeper Alex Guerra, including four in the second half. His counterpart, Trent Johnson stopped a pair of shots against three shots on goal by the Keydets.
Furman held advantage on corner kicks at 10-1 during the chippy contest, which featured a combined 43 fouls, including seven cards issued. VMI's Eric Friese was booked twice and will miss the Keydets' next game at home Tuesday afternoon against East Tennessee State University.
The Paladins, who swept VMI in the regular season series with a 1-0 early in the year, out-shot VMI 23-7, taking 23 attempts in the second half. VMI's shooting efforts were paced by Travis Borkey, who took five total shots with two on frame. Furman got seven shots from Hawke and another four from Edet and Eli Pinner.
Furman jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute as Ritter collected a pass from Peoples, with the former ripping his attempt from 23 yards out to the left side. Edet would put Furman up 2-0 and score the eventual game-winner in the 27th minute, dribbling around Guerra in a one-on-one situation before finishing to the right post. That would be the final goal of the first half.
The Paladins added one more goal in the 47th minute as Hawke stole the ball in VMI's defensive third and finished to the right side.
In the 60th minute, a VMI player was fouled in the box by Dylan Rowe, setting up Morgan for a penalty kick. Two cards were issued at that time, once to Rowe and a second to the Furman bench. Morgan buried the opportunity for his third goal of the season.
VMI returns to Patchin Field, ending an unscheduled four-game road swing, on Tuesday afternoon against ETSU. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. in Lexington as VMI continues its second round of games against Southern Conference opponents.
