Greensboro, N.C. – Marco Alonso netted a hat trick to power ninth-ranked and No. 1 seed UNC Greensboro to a 6-3 victory over No. 5 seed Furman in the semifinal round of the Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championship Sunday afternoon at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
 
With the victory, UNCG (12-1-4) advanced to host the SoCon Men's Soccer Championship Match next weekend in Greensboro, N.C., against the winner of today's Mercer vs. ETSU match. Furman concluded the 2022 campaign at 7-7-4.
 
The Spartans took control of the match by racing out to a 3-0 first half lead. Emmanuel Hagan opened the scoring in the 14^thminute of a corner kick on assists from Sami Lachekar and Alonso. In the 24^th minute, JC Ngondo fired a shot off the right post and Alonso tapped home the rebound at 23:41 to double the margin. Basile Marc upped the lead to 3-0 from the penalty spot on 40 minutes after Furman was whistled for a foul in the box.
 
The Paladins got on the board early in the second half on junior Jake Raine's third goal of the postseason. Senior Josh Hosie sent a cross into the box from the right side and Raine finished at the near post in the 54^th minute to trim the deficit to 3-1.
 
UNCG, however, answered immediately in the 55^th minute when Maycol Reyes struck a left-footed rocket into the upper 90 from outside the box following a Spartan free kick. After an errant back pass led to a breakaway goal for Raine at the 57:04 mark, the Spartans restored their three-goal lead in the 69^th minute as Ngondo set up Alonso's second goal of the day.
 
Freshman Slade Starnes cut the lead to 5-3 in the 75^th minute with a header to the far corner off Tommy Redhead's long throw, but Alonso secured the result for the Spartans less than three minutes later by scoring following a Furman turnover in its own box.
 
Niclas Wild saved three shots to earn the victory in goal for UNCG, while senior Ben Roberts recorded six saves in a losing effort for Furman. The Spartans managed a 12-6 advantage in shots on goal.