The Georgia Southern men’s soccer team lost a heartbreaker at a rain-soaked Eagle Field on Wednesday, falling 2-1 in overtime to Furman in the Southern Conference opener for both teams.
    Jon Cox gave the Eagles (3-3-1, 0-1-0) the lead in the 40th minute, beating Furman goalkeeper Alec Kann to the ball at the edge of the 18-yard box.
    With Kann out of position, Cox put the ball into the open net for his third goal of the season. Luigi Clendening was credited with the assist.
    The Eagles held the lead until Brooks Duff scored the equalizer for Furman (5-3-1, 1-0-0) with less than two and a half minutes to go in regulation. Michael Gandier played the ball into the box, and Duff beat Georgia Southern goalkeeper Ryan Platt to the right post from just inside the penalty area.
    Duff struck again with the game-winner less than four minutes into the overtime period. The Eagles were called for a handball, giving Furman a free-kick 30 yards in front of the goal. Josh Fusan kicked it across the box, and Duff ran on, bouncing it off the near post and into the net to end the game.
    Platt finished the game with four saves, stopping three shots in the second half as Furman desperately tried to even the score. The Eagle defense played solid, even going through a string of three consecutive corner kicks without allowing the Paladins to take a shot, but in the end, Georgia Southern couldn’t keep the clean sheet.
    The Eagles continue Southern Conference play on Saturday, October 2, taking on Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., at 1 p.m.