Celebrating their seniors in style with a 1-0 win against the College of Charleston, Lady Dins hosted the Cougars on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium Friday evening. As Furman compiled a 20-17 edge in total shots and a 11-10 margin in shots on goal, freshman Stella Garcia netted her fifth goal of the season in the 26th minute. Furman Women’s Soccer now improved to 5-4-0 on the current season, looking to face East Tennessee State Buccaneers in Johnson City to kick off their Southern Conference campaign next Friday.
“We have talked about improving throughout the non-conference schedule, and we got a win against a very good College of Charleston team tonight,” said HC Andrew Burr in the post-match interview. “It was good to see us continue to make positive steps forward as a team. Senior Night was a success and all four seniors helped contribute to the win.”
As Furman Women’s Soccer’s non-conference schedule comes to an end with this victory, Coach Burr presented his gratitude to seniors Julia Nicholas, Riley Parsons, Nora Sampson, and Cameron Whitacre on this special night. The foursome not only led by example and solicited unity in the locker room but also helped Furman Women’s Soccer to a 39-17-4 overall record over the past four seasons while demonstrating leadership on the pitch.
Though their contributions to the program transcend beyond the stats sheet, here is a breakdown of what our seniors have achieved with the Furman’s Women’s Soccer on the pitch:
#8 | Julia Nicholas
Netted her first collegiate goal in Furman’s 5-3 victory at The Citadel, Nicholas earned playing time in 48 matches and made seven starts. She scored two goals last week as the Paladins dominated South Carolina State in a 6-0 win.
She logged into 1,267 minutes on the pitch as a Paladin.
#12 | Riley Parsons
A Greenville native, Parsons arrived at Furman as a transfer from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where she spent the past two seasons. She played in all 17 matches there while registering nine stars. She played 90-plus minutes on five occasions and helped the Blazers record seven shutouts and a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 1.04*.
When Parsons was brought in from the UAB, Coach Burr did not hesitate to praise her maturity both on and off the field. He said, “She is a hardworking, disciplined player who will add depth to our midfield and our defensive core.”
Parsons logged into playing time in eight matches this season, contributing to the team with one goal, one assist and her untraceable defensive perseverance.* (GAA = goals allowed per game X game duration / total minutes played)
#1 | Nora Sampson
Sampson made her debut in the starting lineup as a Paladin in her freshman year versus Wofford. She played 86 scoreless minutes and stopped three shots to lead Furman to a 3-0 victory over the Terriers. As a freshman, she fashioned a 1.02 GAA and recorded seven saves.
In her sophomore year, Sampson allowed only one goal while posting a 0.26 GAA and a 4-0-1 record in net. Having registered 305 minutes as a senior, Sampson has not conceded a single goal and totaled fifteen saves. She stopped a career-best ten shots to earn the victory against the Cougars on Senior Night.
#10 | Cameron Whitacre
Also a Greenville native, Whitacre got playing time in 20 matches. She assisted a goal in Furman’s 4-0 victory over North Greenville University.
