Furman 1, Gardner-Webb 0

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Bobby Edet netted his fourth goal of the season in the 11th minute and Sven Lissek made several key saves down the stretch to lift 17th-ranked Furman to a 1-0 victory over Gardner-Webb on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium on Monday night.

The win, Furman’s fifth straight victory and fifth consecutive shutout, improved the Paladins to 6-1-0 on the season. The Paladins entered the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 on Monday.

Gardner-Webb dropped to 4-3-0.

Less than 11 minutes into the contest, freshman Marco Ortiz delivered a cross into the path of Edet, who hammered a shot past Bulldogs goalkeeper Matthew Swan from inside the center of the 6-yard box. The Paladins, who controlled the majority of possession for the opening 45 minutes, nearly doubled the lead minutes before the half when a chipped pass over the defense found Evan De Ycaza, but the freshman missed wide.

Gardner-Webb possessed the ball more in the second half and threatened to equalize in the final minutes. Lissek denied Iman Mafi’s shot from the left side off of a corner kick with under five minutes remaining. Ali Al-Gashamy and Denzel Clarke also had chances on headers in the final moments but were unable to put their shots on frame.

The Bulldogs held a 15-13 edge in shots and 4-3 advantage in shots on goal. Lissek totaled four saves to record his fourth shutout of the season. Swan tallied two saves for Gardner-Webb.

Furman returns to action on Friday at James Madison. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Paladins open Southern Conference play on Sunday afternoon at Appalachian State.