GREENVILLE, S.C. (Oct. 11, 2025) - Sometimes it's just not meant to be. 

After erasing a deficit twice in the first half, ETSU fell behind Furman to stay on a 70th minute penalty kick awarded on video review in a 3-2 loss at Stone Stadium on Saturday night. Berkay Duman and Jaime Carrillo scored in the first half with each goal answering a prior Furman tally. 

The Paladins (8-1-4, 1-0-1) struck before the sun had fully set behind the trees, needing just 57 seconds to open the scoring. Diego Hernandez found Caleb Johnson at the top of the box with a pass through two Buccaneers, and Johnson made a deft pass to Gabe Cox on a full-speed run. Cox drove the ball to the back post and put the Buccaneers (1-6-4, 1-1-0) on the back foot. 

ETSU mounted an answer in the 11th minute when Jaime Carrillo took off with a pass from Noel Pool and sent a through-ball skidding along the surface to the edge of the box for Duman, who drilled it into the heart of the net for his second goal in three games. Duman forced a save out of keeper Ivan Horvat in the 13th on a free kick from the 'keeper's right that whipped around the left side of the wall and nearly tucked into the left post before Horvat punched it away, and Henrique Cruz missed just wide on a header moments later. 

Johnson went on a run up the left wing for Furman in the 25th minute and found Cox on a low cross into the box, but Cox's shot was blocked by teammate Ryan Reid. Hernandez found the deflected ball and sent it back to Reid, who bashed it inside the left post to put the Paladins back in front. 

In the 38th, the Bucs had an answer yet again. 

Carrillo chested down a failed switch attempt in the center of the pitch for a run by Cruz, who fed Ingvar Kolbjornsen on the run down the right side of the box. Kolbjornsen chipped the ball over a lunging Horvat, but a defender saved the ball off the line before Carrillo followed through and secured the equalizer with his third goal of 2025 and the sixth of his career to put the teams on level terms at halftime. 

Furman poured on considerable pressure in the second half, but the decisive goal needed video review to even have a chance. A clearance header by Pablo Ramirez hit the outstretched right hand of a leaping Cruz on its way out of the box. The referee spent extensive time at the replay monitor and ultimately awarded a penalty, which Hernandez buried low and hard to the left corner to put Furman ahead for the remainder of the match. 

The Paladins outshot the Bucs 19-12, and shots on goal favored Furman 8-7. The game was extremely physical with 28 combined fouls and eight yellow cards, including three issued to the respective benches. 

The Bucs return to action next Saturday with a visit from Mercer at 6:00pm. 

For more information on ETSU men's soccer, go to ETSUBucs.com.