December 14, 2000

FURMAN'S TURGEON TOPS FINAL NATIONAL SCORING CHART

GREENVILLE, SC -- Furman women's soccer freshman Emily Turgeon finished the 2000 season as the leading scorer in Division I women's soccer with a school record 63 points.

Turgeon's 63 points edged the 60 points registered by Meredith Florance, star member of the 2000 National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels. Turgeon¹s teammate, junior Melissa Turner finished tenth in the nation in total points with 49.

Turgeon, a freshman from Raleigh, N.C., has already collected a number of impressive honors. She became the first player in Southern Conference women's soccer history to be named SoCon freshman-of-the-year and player-of-the-year in the same season. She was also named to the NSCAA All-Southeast Region second team. Turgeon is one of nine finalists for the Soccer Buzz national freshman-of-the-year award. The Soccer Buzz will be announced later this month. The freshman was also featured in the November 13 issue of Sports Illustrated in the "Faces In The Crowd" section.

Turgeon made an immediate impact for the Lady Paladins as a freshman. She scored a goal or recorded an assist in 18 of Furman's 23 matches. She scored big goals in big games, including two goals in the final seven minutes of regulation to give Furman a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Davidson en route Furman¹s second straight perfect SoCon regular season record. She tallied six game-winning goals on the season.

Turgeon's 23 goals and 63 assists shattered the Furman single season goals and points record. Though she has only played one season of college soccer, Turgeon ranks fifth in career goals, seventh in career assists, and sixth in career points in Furman's seven-year old soccer program.

"To lead the nation in scoring as a freshman is a remarkable accomplishment," said Furman head coach Brian Lee. "I think she has proven that she is certainly one of the best freshman in the nation and one of the best players in the region."

Furman concluded the season with its second straight 20-3 overall record and 9-0 league mark. The Lady Paladins advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Duke.

2000 NCAA Division I Women¹s Soccer Statistics:

Points

• 1. Emily Turgeon, Furman 63 (23 goals/17 assists)
• 2. Meredith Florance, North Carolina 60 (26 goals/8 assists)
• 3. Christina Latham, Nebraska 57 (23 goals/11 assists)
• 4. Marilyn Marin, North Texas 55 (24 goals/7 assists)
• 4. Sasja Odenyo, Florida International 55 (24 goals/7 assists)
• 6. Abby Wambach, Florida 54 (23 goals/8 assists)
• 6. Lara Brown, Centenary 54 (23 goals/8 assists)
• 8. Missy Gregg, Dayton 50 (22 goals/6 assists)
• 8. Andi Sellers, Florida 50 (20 goals/10 assists)
• 10. Melissa Turner, Furman 49 (18 goals/13 assists)