Durham, N.C. – Midfielder Conor Dowler scored in the 84^th minute to lift Furman men's soccer to a 2-1 victory over defending CAA champion Elon in the regular season opener for both schools on Friday at Duke's John Rennie Nike Invitational in Durham, N.C.
 
With the match knotted at 1-1 and less than seven minutes remaining, Dowler took a pass from Christian Kraus following a long period of possession for the Paladins and lined a shot into the far corner from almost 25 yards out at the 83:41 mark to break deadlock. 
 
"This was a fantastic win against a tournament team from last season that won their league," said Paladin head coach Doug Allison. "The guys did a great job of sticking to our game plan and everyone who came off the bench contributed for us, especially Caleb and Conor, who scored the goals."
 
Furman opened the scoring in the 32^nd minute on freshman Caleb Johnson's first collegiate goal. Kraus won a header in the Furman half and played the ball to Johnson. The Atlanta, Ga., native carried the ball through the midfield before unleashing 30-yard strike into the upper right-hand corner at the 31:43 mark.
 
Elon leveled the match less than five minutes before intermission. Scott Vante found space and finished inside the box at 40:16 to even the contest at 1-1. Furman and Elon combined for just four shots on goal in the second half prior to Dowler's decisive strike in the 84^th minute.
 
Sophomore Cameron Maung-Maung saved four shots to earn the victory in goal while Elon's Tomas Wroblewski turned away eight shots for the Phoenix (0-1-0). The Paladins posted a 17-11 margin in total shot attempts and 10-5 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Furman (1-0-0) returns to action on Sunday when it faces the host and fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils in the finale of the John Rennie Invitational. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ACC Network Xtra.