Greenville, S.C. – Senior Connor Hubbard netted the go-ahead goal in the 63^rd minute to lead Furman to a 2-1 victory over Belmont and help the Paladins claim their league record 20^th Southern Conference regular season title Saturday night on Seagraves Field at Stone Soccer Stadium.
 
With the victory, Furman (11-6-1, 5-1-0 SoCon) secured the No. 1 seed for the 2019 SoCon Men's Soccer Championship and earned a bye to the semifinal round. The Paladins will host the winner of Friday afternoon's quarterfinal round match between Wofford and Mercer in the semifinals on Sunday, November 10 at 1 p.m. at Stone Stadium.
 
"I'm so proud of the boys tonight," said Paladin head coach Doug Allison, who captured his 10^th SoCon regular season crown in 25 seasons at Furman. "They've overcome a lot of adversity and fought hard to earn this championship. Connor Hubbard scored a great goal and our seniors provided great leadership."
 
Hubbard, who netted two goals in Tuesday's win at Wofford, broke the deadlock with his third goal of the week at the 62:58 mark. Senior Rocky Guerra curled a cross from the left wing to the top of the six-yard box where Hubbard made a sliding effort to redirect the ball into the back of the net for his fifth score of the season. The assist was Guerra's team-best eighth of the campaign.
 
Max Fisher earned the victory in goal for Furman, his ninth of the season, while Cameron Petty made three saves for the Bruins in a losing effort.
 
Furman jumped in front at the 19:06 mark when Belmont was whistled for a foul in the box and Cole McLagan slotted home his penalty kick for his team-leading eighth goal of the year. Belmont leveled the match at 34:55 as Nigel Leo converted from the penalty spot after Furman was charged with a hand ball in the box.
 
The Paladins posted a commanding 17-3 advantage in total shots and a 5-1 edge in shots on goal., while earning seven corner kicks without surrendering any to the Bruins.
 
Furman's regular season title marked its first since 2010. A win on November 10, would give Furman a home match in the SoCon Championship finals on November 16, and a chance at its fourth league tournament crown in the last six seasons.