Furman Men's Soccer
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Durham, N.C. – Furman rallied from a 2-1 deficit to earn a 4-3 victory over No. 19 Duke and hand head coach Brandon Tucker his first career win in non-conference men’s soccer action Thursday night at Koskinen Stadium.
Brandon Tucker gets his first career win as head coach! Congratulations to him and his team on all their hard work!!! pic.twitter.com/vXArtU8tpj
— Furman Men's Soccer (@FurmanSoccer) August 28, 2026
Furman (1-1-1) took the lead less than five minutes into the match when Mason Peacock played Ryan Reid behind the Duke defense down the left flank and the forward beat Duke goalkeeper Max Deisenhofer to the left side of the net at the 4:18 mark. In the 11th minute Furman sophomore Luke Munson suffered a season-ending injury and the Blue Devils Ulfur Bjornsson scored less than 40 seconds later to level the match. Bjornsson netted his second goal of the night in the 19th minute to put Duke in front, 2-1.
In the 31st minute Trip Campbell and Luke Hutzell teamed up to feed Grayson Travis who ripped a shot into the upper left-hand corner from outside the box to even the match at 2-2. Furman regained the advantage at 67:25 on Diego Hernandez’s third goal in three matches. Connor Stout played a long ball from the right wing to the left side of the box and Reid centered a pass to Hernandez for the one-timer from the middle of the box that put the Paladins in front.
GOALLLLL!!!! Ryan Wagner add another goal in the 75th minute pic.twitter.com/5ZY7cb0JVD
— Furman Men's Soccer (@FurmanSoccer) August 28, 2026
Furman doubled its lead in the 76th minute as Wilfer Bustamante pounced on a loose ball along the goal line on the left side of the box and slid a pass through the box to Ryan Wagner to tap into the right side of the net at 75:04. Tucker Smith pulled a goal back for Duke at 86:07, but the Paladins successfully defended a pair of Blue Devil corner kicks in the final minute to secure the victory.
Go Diego Go!! Hernandez gives the Paladins the lead in the 67th minute! pic.twitter.com/IC9fPG7TAP
— Furman Men's Soccer (@FurmanSoccer) August 28, 2026
“I’m extremely proud of the effort and execution the team showed tonight,” said Tucker. “They showed resolve in a very hard moment. This group continues to show growth and love for one another that makes them a special group. We will celebrate this one tonight but prepare for a very good UNC Wilmington team tomorrow. This one was for Luke Munson!”
Halftime pic.twitter.com/u0CpwtGeKJ
— Furman Men's Soccer (@FurmanSoccer) August 28, 2026
Aaron Salinas played all 90 minutes in goal and totaled four saves to earn the win for Furman. Deisenhofer recorded two saves for the Blue Devils.
Grayson Travis with a goal to tie the match 😈 pic.twitter.com/lPIfzLVKxN
— Furman Men's Soccer (@FurmanSoccer) August 27, 2026
Duke (2-1-0) managed a 15-11 advantage in total shot attempts and 7-6 edge in shots on goal. The Blue Devils earned seven corner kicks to just one for the Paladins.
Goal for the Paladins!!!! pic.twitter.com/Vj7EcX2O5P
— Furman Men's Soccer (@FurmanSoccer) August 27, 2026
Furman travels to Wilmington, N.C., for a 4 p.m. kickoff versus UNCW on Sunday before visiting Davidson on Friday, September 4. The Paladins return to Stone Soccer Stadium to host Garner-Webb on September 9 at 6 p.m.
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