Greensboro, N.C. – No. 5 seed Furman netted three goals in the opening 28 minutes, including a pair of scores by junior Jake Raine, to down No. 4 seed Wofford, 3-2, in the quarterfinal round of the Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championship Friday afternoon at UNCG Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
 
The Paladins (7-6-4) advance to face No. 1 seed and ninth-ranked UNC Greensboro in semifinal round action Sunday. Kickoff at UNCG Stadium is slated for 2 p.m. and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
"This is a great win for us," said Paladin head coach Doug Allison, the winningest coach in SoCon history. "Any win this time of year is a great win. I'm happy for Jake Raine. He's been waiting all season to get back off injury. He makes a big difference for us."
 
Raine, who had appeared in just five matches this season due to injury after leading the Paladins in scoring last year, staked Furman to a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals in the opening 12 minutes. Just over two minutes into the match, Alfredo Diaz-Santillan darted down the left side and played a low cross through the box that Raine slid onto and touched inside the far post at 2:13. Less than nine minutes later, Diaz-Santillan ripped a shot from the left side of the box that the goalkeeper redirected into the path of Raine. The Stoke, England, native pounced on the rebound and finished from close range to double the lead at the 11:09 mark.
 
After Wofford halved the Paladin lead on Nikolai Rojel's 21^st minute strike, junior Dylan Lane restored Furman's two-goal lead. Senior Sam Miller curled a left-footed corner kick towards the far post and Lane nodded a shot off the back of defender Slade Starnes and inside the left post at 27:53 to up the margin to 3-1.
 
Hugo Moldin pulled Wofford (6-9-2) within a goal in the 36^th minute, but Furman's defense notched a shutout in the second half to improve to 6-1-1 in its last eight meetings versus the Terriers. Wofford possessed the ball for much of the final 45 minutes only to be denied by the Paladin backline. The Furman defense held Wofford to just two shots on target in the second half and goalkeeper Ben Roberts saved both to secure the victory.
 
Wofford managed a 14-10 advantage in total shots, but Furman posted a 6-4 edge in shots on goal and earned a 6-5 margin in corner kicks.
 
The winner of Sunday's match will advance to face either Mercer or ETSU in next weekend's SoCon Championship Match, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.