Greenville, S.C. – The 25^th-ranked and top-seeded Furman Paladins begin play in the Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championship when they host No. 4 seed Belmont in semifinal round play at 6 p.m. Friday on Seagraves Field at Stone Soccer Stadium.
 
Furman, 7-1-1 overall and 5-0-1 in SoCon play this season, is looking to claim its 15^th SoCon Tournament title and fourth in the last seven seasons. The Paladins, ranked No. 25 in the latest Top Drawer Soccer Top 25, No. 26 in the College Soccer News Top 30 and No. 35 in this week's NCAA Men's Soccer RPI, captured their 21^st SoCon regular season crown in school history with a 3-0 victory at Belmont on March 30, before concluding the regular season with a scoreless draw versus Wofford last Thursday.
 
One of the keys to Furman's success has been the play of redshirt-senior goalkeeper Ben Hale. The Frisco, Texas, native has posted a 0.73 goals against average and four solo shutouts while helping the Paladins to six shutouts in their nine matches this season. Fellow redshirt-senior Cole McLagan has helped ignite the offense and defense this year. The right back has tallied three goals and assisted on two match-winning scores in addition to anchoring a defense that has allowed just six goals in nine contests. Sophomore Shaun-Chris Joash and freshman Jake Raine have led the Paladins with five goals apiece.
 
Furman is searching for its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018 when the Paladins blanked UNCG, 3-0, in the SoCon finals to earn a spot in postseason play. Head coach Doug Allison's squad advanced past UNCW in a penalty shootout in Wilmington, N.C., before falling at top 10 Virginia, 2-0, in second round play.
 
Friday's match marks the 11^th all-time meeting between the Paladins and Bruins with Furman holding a 9-1-0 series lead. The Paladins have won all four meetings since Belmont joined the SoCon in men's soccer prior to the 2018 campaign, including a 4-2 decision in the opening round of the 2018 tournament at Stone Stadium.
 
The winner of Friday night's match will advance to face the winner of Saturday night's ETSU versus UNCG semifinal contest in the SoCon Championship Match the following weekend. If Furman advances, the Paladins would host the title match at Stone Stadium on Saturday, April 17.
 
Fans will be able to watch Saturday's Furman-Belmont match live on ESPN+ with live statistics available through StatBroadcast. Links for both will be posted at FurmanPaladins.com.