Spartanburg, S.C. – Senior Alfredo Diaz-Santillan found the back of the net in the 80^th minute to lift No. 3 seed Furman to a 1-0 victory over No. 2 seed Wofford in the Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championship semifinals on Sunday afternoon at Snyder Field in Spartanburg, S.C.
 
Furman (10-5-3) advances to the SoCon Championship Match on Sunday, November 12, and will host No. 5 seed Mercer in the finals. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Stone Soccer Stadium and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Wofford concludes its season at 7-4-6.
 
With less than 11 minutes remaining in regulation, Christian Kraus dribbled into the left side of the box and punched a shot towards goal that deflected off a Wofford defender. Diaz-Santillan slid onto the loose ball to fire a left-footed shot into the far corner of the net at the 79:31 mark to break the deadlock with his second goal of the season.
 
"Really proud of these guys for winning two games in less than 48 hours this time of the season," said Paladin head coach Doug Allison. "I'm so happy for Alfredo. He deserved that goal for his work rate today. I'm also proud of our defense for getting the shutout."
 
Wofford pushed forward in the waning moments of the match, but the Paladins held the Terriers without a shot on target in the final 10 minutes to clinch the shutout and avenge a 1-0 loss to their arch-rivals last Sunday.
 
Furman managed a 12-10 advantage in total shots and attempted five shots on goal while holding the Terriers to just one. Freshman goalkeeper Aaron Salinas stopped the lone Wofford shot on goal to register his fifth clean sheet of the season.
 
The Paladins controlled much of the possession in the opening half hour and threatened to score several times with Kraus lining a header of the cross bar and Diaz-Santillan having a goal-bound attempt smothered at the left post. Wofford was held without a shot on target in the opening 55 minutes before Salinas saved Magnus Kjoller's 56-minute effort.
 
The Terriers began to possess the ball more in the second half, but the back line of Luke Tandy, Slade Starnes, and Josh Hosie limited any clear-cut chances on goal for the home side.
 
Furman will be appearing in its 18^th SoCon finals and looking to claim its 15^th SoCon Tournament title. The Paladins last reached the championship match in 2018 when they scored a 3-0 victory over UNC Greensboro in Johnson City.
 
2023 SoCon Men's Soccer Championship 
Quarterfinals, Friday, Nov. 3
Campus sites 
Match 1: No. 5 Mercer 3, No. 4 UNCG 1 (Johnson City, Tenn.)
Match 2: No. 3 Furman 4, No. 6 VMI 1 (Spartanburg, S.C.) 
Championship Semifinals, Sunday, Nov. 5
Campus sites (at higher seeds)
Match 3: No. 5 Mercer 1, No. 1 ETSU 1, MU advances on PKs (Johnson City, Tenn.)
Match 4: No. 3 Furman 1, No. 2 Wofford 0 (Spartanburg, S.C.) 
Finals, Nov. 12
Campus site (at highest remaining seed)
Match 5: No. Mercer at No. 3 Furman, 2:00