GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman's Isabella Gutierrez scored in the seventh minute of play on Sunday afternoon and despite strong offensive pressure down the stretch, The Citadel was unable to find an equalizer in Southern Conference play at Stone Stadium against the Paladins in a 1-0 setback.
 
Game Information
Final Score: Furman 1, The Citadel 0
Record: The Citadel (6-5-2, 0-2 SoCon), Furman (2-0, 2-0 SoCon)
Location: Greenville, S.C. (Stone Stadium)
Series: Furman leads 19-2
 
How It Happened

• Brie Sikes, starting for the first time in goal this spring, came up big for the Bulldogs just three minutes into the match. After committing a foul inside the box, Furman was awarded a penalty kick; Ellie Laxer lined up the kick but Sikes stood strong between the posts and turned it away to maintain the early deadlock.
• Just four minutes later, however, the Paladins pushed in front on an unassisted goal from Isabella Gutierrez, who fired low to the right corner to give Furman the 1-0 advantage.
• The Paladins continued to bring the pressure with six shots over the next 30 minutes, with Sikes stepping in to make a pair of saves and another striking the post in the 31st minute as the Bulldogs prevented Furman from adding to its lead.
• Sikes again stonewalled the Paladins with two more saves in the final five minutes of the half, sending The Citadel into the halftime break down just one goal.
• Set up with a corner in the 67th minute, The Citadel nearly pulled level as Rachel Posner found Leanne Bryant, but her shot was blocked away by a Paladin defender to end the threat.
• Devyn Nyhart also nearly found the equalizer in the 70th minute, finding space and firing a shot that flew just wide right of the net.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Drawing her first start of the spring and second of the 2020-21 season, Brie Sikes made six saves and surrendered just one goal across 90 minutes of action. Sikes' penalty kick save in the third minute was The Citadel's first since Kelly Brahmbhatt saved one against Samford's Ella Baggett on Oct. 27, 2018.
• Both Devyn Nyhart and Leanne Bryant fired a pair of shots, and Logan Dix put The Citadel's lone attempt on goal of the day in the second minute.
• Of The Citadel's five losses this season, four have come by a single goal, including 1-0 defeats against then-No. 12 Pittsburgh (Sept. 27) and North Florida (Feb. 23) and a 2-1 setback against Pittsburgh (Sept. 24).

 
Up Next
The Citadel will return to WLI Field for the first time since Feb. 23 next Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. as the Bulldogs welcome SoCon foe Mercer. The two sides played twice in non-conference tilts during the abbreviated fall campaign and both were positive results for The Citadel, which earned a 1-1 draw in Charleston on Sept. 17 before a dramatic 3-2 win in Macon on Oct. 9 that gave the program its first-ever victory over the Bears.