The Furman men’s soccer team secured its first victory of the 2024 season on the road, rallying past the Winthrop Eagles 2-1 in Rock Hill, S.C. on Sunday, Aug. 25. The match marked the 12th encounter between the schools, with Furman holding a dominant 10-1-0 record.
After a scoreless first half, Winthrop broke the deadlock when Sam Pidgeon scored his first goal of the season on a corner kick from Bruno Riveron-Sagrero. Charging into the middle of the box from the far side, Pigeon laced a shot into the left-hand corner to give Winthrop the lead at the 47:52 mark.
Furman was quick to respond with two goals, turning the game around. Freshman midfielder Wesley Siegel set up senior striker Christian Kraus for a two-versus-one following a successful tackle in the midfield. Racing forward after stealing the ball, Siegel slid a pass into the path of Kraus, who scored at 60:10 to tie the game at one apiece.
It took the Paladins only 12 more minutes to take the lead. Junior winger Lloyd Wamu Snell raced down the right flank and played the ball around his defender in the 73rd minute. Snell’s cross was deflected in the path of senior defensive midfielder Ivan Agyaakwah. The London, England native Agyaakwah stepped up like a captain should as he fired a shot past the Winthrop goalkeeper Jack Kilstrom from inside the penalty spot at 72:38.
The Dins came close to putting the game to bed with a breakaway goal in the 85th minute, but Kilstrom denied Kraus in a one-on-one. Moments later, sophomore goalkeeper Aaron Salinas made a crucial save by tipping a Winthrop shot over the crossbar. Despite a late scare, the Paladins held onto the lead and triumphed over the Eagles.
Furman outshot Winthrop 17-9 overall, with a noteworthy 8-2 edge in shots on goal. Salinas had to make only one save thanks to the strong Paladin back four, while Winthrop goalkeeper Kilstrom stopped five shots.
The win improved the Furman Paladins to 1-0-1 on the season, while the Winthrop Eagles fell to 0-2-0. The Dins will be back on Friday, Aug. 30 against cross-town rival North Greenville University at 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium.