Greenville, S.C. – The No. 1 seeded Furman women's soccer team will begin its quest for a Southern Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament automatic berth when it hosts eighth-seeded Western Carolina in the opening round of tournament play at 2 p.m. Sunday on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.

The Paladins, SoCon regular season champions, blanked Wofford 2-0 on Wednesday night to conclude the regular season at 14-3-2 overall and 8-1-1 in SoCon play.  Western Carolina topped arch rival Appalachian State in its regular season finale to secure a spot in the eight-team tournament field.  The Catamounts are 10-8-1 overall and 4-6-0 in conference play.

Furman scored in a the opening minutes to claim a 1-0 victory over the Catamounts in the only regular season meeting of the year between the schools on October 18, in Cullowhee, N.C.  The Paladins hold a 12-5-0 series lead versus Western Carolina and have won three of the last four meetings in the series.

Tickets for Sunday's tournament opener will be available at the gate.  Fans can follow live stats at www.FurmanPaladins.com and follow in-game updates on Twitter through @FurmanWSoccer.  Live streaming video with play-by-play is available through Stretch Internet at www.FurmanPaladins.com for a subscription fee.

The winner of Sunday's game will advance to the SoCon semifinals to face the winner of Appalachian State at Samford.  The semifinal round will be held at Wofford's Snyder Field in Spartanburg, S.C., on Friday, November 8, at 5 p.m.