JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 24, 2026) - The Bucs held a team that had scored 16 goals in its previous three games to zero. They couldn't find one of their own, but the ETSU men's soccer team kept its SoCon title hopes alive with a 0-0 draw against Furman on Saturday night at Summers-Taylor Stadium.
The goalless draw extends the Buccaneers' (7-6-4, 2-0-3) shutout streak to 424:34, the third-longest in program history, and they survived an aggressive Paladins (6-3-5, 2-1-1) onslaught in the first half that only intensified after Micah Kwende was issued a red card for a foul committed as the last defender in the 55th minute, which was confirmed upon video review.
Despite the numbers disadvantage, the Bucs nearly won the contest in the 85th. Jaime Carrillo broke free of a defender on the right wing and found himself in a three-on-one with Gavin Dick and Joe Gonzalez. He brought the ball central and floated a pass to Gonzalez onside and well wide of the final defender. Gonzalez beat keeper Aaron Salinas but missed wide of the right post by less than a foot. ETSU held firm for the draw from there and focused on denying Furman a similar chance the other way.
The Paladins outshot the Bucs 17-6 and 8-2 on goal, but the ETSU defense held firm yet again. Noé Delmotte made a career-high eight saves in his third consecutive shutout and fourth of the season, tying him for the eighth saves in a single season at 63 alongside Josh Perryman in 2019.
With the draw and an accompanying draw between UNCG and Wofford, the Bucs can win the SoCon regular season title with a win at UNCG, a draw or a Furman loss to UNCG on October 27, and a draw or a Wofford loss to Furman on October 31. The Bucs play the Spartans at UNCG Soccer Stadium on Halloween at 6 p.m.
For more information on ETSU men's soccer, go to ETSUBucs.com.
