Greenville, S.C. – The Furman men's soccer team will kick off its 2019 regular season this weekend when it takes on the Duke Blue Devils and Elon Phoenix at the John Rennie Nike Invitational in Durham, N.C.
 
The Paladins, receiving votes in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Top 25, will begin their campaign on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against No. 10 Duke and the match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. Friday's match marks the first meeting between the Paladins and Blue Devils since a 1-0 Duke victory in 2011. The Blue Devils hold a 9-1-0 series lead.
 
Furman, picked second in preseason polling of Southern Conference head coaches, played a pair of preseason games. The Paladins dropped a 2-1 decision to No. 4 Wake Forest at Stone Stadium before claiming a 1-0 win at North Florida last weekend on freshman Dylan Lane's second half bicycle kick.
 
Duke played to a 2-2 tie versus South Carolina and dropped a 2-1 decision to UNCW before topping Coastal Carolina, 4-1, in a match shortened by inclement weather this past weekend.
 
Following Friday's regular season opener, the Paladins will face Elon on Sunday at noon in Durham, N.C., in the final round of the John Rennie Invitational. Furman holds a 9-5-2 series lead versus its former SoCon rival with the last series meeting, a 1-0 Furman victory, coming during the 2013 season.
 
Furman is slated to open its home schedule at Stone Stadium on September 11, versus UNC Asheville. Soccer season tickets are still available for $30 at FurmanPaladins.com and include admission to all regular season home games for both the men's and women's teams.