This past week marked an incredible collection of games and accolades for Furman Women’s Soccer. The ’Dins sit at number one on the table and have strong control over their Southern Conference opponents, remaining unbeaten and virtually uncontested in conference play both at home and away.
In the past week, Furman defeated UNCG in Greensboro with Isabella Gutierrez’s game winning goal and powered past Chattanooga for a 2-0 home win. This past weekend’s matchup against Samford marked the first time Corn had allowed a goal in over 437 minutes, making Samford one of only two Southern Conference teams to put up points against Furman this season. Freshman Nieva Gaither put the ‘Dins on the board at the 14th minute to lead, but Samford would convert a top-of-the-box penalty kick less than half a minute later. Samford, the Southern Conference favorite, seemed to be Furman’s hardest conference competitor to date with both squads going on strong defense to keep the game equal for an eventual 1-1 tie after double overtime.
Furman’s performance over the last week has made for a collection of more than one impressive honor. The team honored their seniors, Ellie Laxer and Josie Gillespie, after four impressive years of play. They remained unbeaten in a three-game week at 5-0-1 and produced Head Coach Aaron Burr’s 100th Southern Conference win along the way. Gaither and Corn also swept the Southern Conference’s Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively. Corn’s seven key saves against Samford earned her the honor alongside Gaither’s award after two assists in last week’s win over Chattanooga and goal against Samford.
To round off their accolades for the week, Furman placed at No. 25 in this week’s NCAA Women’s Soccer RPI. Furman trails southern powerhouse teams North Carolina, Arkansas and Duke at fourth in the southeast and has stirred conversation about a possible at-large bid to the NCAA tournament in early May. Furman claimed a share of the Southern Conference Regular Season title in 2019 at 7-1-1 and their current 16-1-2 record in 19 conference matchups makes them one of the most successful Southern Conference teams.
The ‘Dins will go on a difficult three-game away series stint at Western Carolina, ETSU and Wofford to finish conference play and their regular season early next week.
