GREENVILLE, S.C. – Not shying away from a halftime deficit and a Furman answer to a lead change late in the second half, USC Upstate men's soccer takes the roughly 45-minute drive back from Greenville after defeating the Paladins for the first time in the Spartans' Division I era.

The victory also marks the first for USC Upstate—then known as USC Spartanburg—against Furman since 1988 and just the fourth victory against the Paladins in program history.

Goals from redshirt junior forward Javier Torres, redshirt junior midfielder Paul Bobai, and redshirt junior forward Mario Arrocha helped seal the victory with Arrocha's golden goal in the 101^st minute off an assist from Bobai—with some help from Torres—sending the Spartans home victorious.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 3, Furman 2 [2OT]
Records: USC Upstate 1-3-1; Furman 1-3-0
Location: Stone Soccer Stadium | Greenville, S.C.
 
How It Happened

• 14' – Upstate found the first good look at goal as redshirt junior defender Felipe Marty lofted a long shot towards goal, attempting to catch Furman keeper Ben Roberts off his line. Roberts was able to recover and collect for his first save.
• 23' – Winning a fifty-fifty ball in his own offensive end, Furman's Callum Holland pushed a pass forward for Jacob Garzon who fired a shot from just outside the 18-yard box, scoring just inside the left post to give Furman the early advantage.
• 26' – Shooting from a similar angle to that of Furman's first goal, the Paladins Miles Fenton fires a shot towards the left post where Upstate's junior goalkeeper Luca Bulfon was waiting to collect for the save.
• 38' – Off a Sam Miller corner kick, Furman's Ivan Agyaakwah fired a shot from inside the box that struck a teammate in the back to negate a Paladin scoring opportunity.
• 41' – The Spartans got their greatest scoring chance of the first half when junior defender Hayden Anderson took a feed from Marty into the box, firing a rocket off the right post.
• 45' – In the opening minute of the second half, freshman midfielder Xavi Wences pushed a through ball across the midfield stripe to find Torres streaking past two Paladin defenders. Taking the Furman keeper one-on-one, he nutmegged Roberts to score an equalizing goal.
• 59' – Taking a free kick earned following the booking of Spartans' senior defender Justin Hynes, Agyaakwah lofted a ball into the box where Justin Raine pushed a header towards the right post that was plucked from the air by Bulfon for a save.
• 65' – Winning back possession with an Anderson takeaway, Montero flicked a pass into the box for a streaking Torres who stopped, turned around a defender, and fired a left-footed shot that was saved.
• 80' – Taking to the counterattack in an attempt to bust open a tie game as Arrocha got free for a scoring opportunity, pushing a shot off the left post. Careening off the post and back towards the center of the 6-yard box, Bobai streaked forward and buried the ball in the back of the net to give Upstate its first lead.
• 82' – Looking for its own equalizer late in the half, Dylan Lane fired a shot from wide right of the 18-yard box, finding just enough of the back post to deflect and trickle across the goal line and tie the match.
• 84' – Arrocha stepped up to take a free kick from just outside the box, following a yellow card against the Paladin's Agyaakwah. He curled a shot around the Furman wall that deflected off the left post and into the corner.
• 88' – Winning a free kick from outside the 18-yard box thanks to a booking on Furman's Luke Tandy, Torres fired a shot that caught a piece of the Paladin wall and caromed wide.
• 94' – Furman got a good look on goal in the 94^th minute as Alfredo Diaz-Santillan found Keaton Hubbard just outside the box, allowing Hubbard to dribble into the box and fire a shot and forcing Bulfon to make a diving save near the right post.
• 96' – Taking its third free kick from just outside the box, sophomore midfielder Elias Ehlin took a shot that hit a Furman defender in the Paladin's wall to negate the scoring opportunity.
• 101' – Taking a long ball from Ehlin into the corner, Torres delivered a centering pass from the in-line to Bobai who was waiting near the penalty spot. Off a one-time pass, Arrocha takes the pass and drives it into an open net for the game-winning goal.

 
Notable

• Upstate's victory was its first against Furman in the Spartans' Division I era, entering the match with an 0-6-1 record against Furman since 2007. The win also marked the first against the Paladins since 1988.
• With his goal in the 45^th minute, Javier Torres netted his third career goal, his first of the season and first since scoring twice against Liberty on October 22, 2019.
• Bobai's goal in the 80^th minute was the second goal of his Upstate career after scoring against Presbyterian on March 10, 2021. His assist on Arrocha's game-winner was the first of his career, giving him his first career three-plus point match.
• Netting the game-winner against Furman, Arrocha scored his sixth career goal, earning his third career game-winning goal. The golden goal was also the second time he's scored this season as he scored on a penalty kick against Georgia State on September 4.

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