Greenville, S.C. – The Furman men's soccer team kicks off the 2023 regular season this weekend when it faces defending CAA regular season champion Elon and preseason No. 4 Duke at the John Rennie Nike Invitational in Durham, N.C.
 
The Paladins and Phoenix are set for a 5 p.m. kickoff on Friday at Duke's Koskinen Stadium before the Blue Devils host Furman on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Live statistics for both matches are available at FurmanPaladins.com. Sunday's showdown with Duke will be streamed live on ACC Network Xtra.
 
Friday's season opener marks the 18^th meeting between the Paladins and Phoenix with Furman holding a 9-5-3 series lead. In the last meeting between the schools in 2019 at the John Rennie Invitational, Furman and Elon played to a 3-3 draw. Duke has won 11 of 12 meetings in the all-time series versus the Paladins and claimed a 3-2 decision in the last meeting at Stone Stadium during the 2021 campaign.
 
The 2023 Paladins return 10 starters from a 2022 quad that posted a 7-7-4 record and reached the semifinals of the Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championship before being eliminated by eventual league champion and NCAA quarterfinalist UNC Greensboro. The Paladins are led by leading returning goal scorer Jake Raine. The senior forward earned preseason All-SoCon honors along with midfielder Dylan Lane.
 
Following this weekend's games in Durham, Furman visits No. 18 Wake Forest on September 4 prior to playing its home opener versus Winthrop on September 8 at Stone Stadium.