Spartanburg, S.C. – The seventh-ranked Furman Paladins netted a goal on either side of the halftime break to blank Wofford, 2-0, in the regular season finale and secure the program's league-record 22^nd Southern Conference regular season championship Saturday night at Snyder Field. 
 
Furman, 12-1-4 overall and 4-0-1 in SoCon play, locked up a first-round bye in the SoCon Men's Soccer Championship and will host the winner of Friday's first-round match between Wofford and ETSU in semifinal round action on Seagraves Field at Stone Soccer Stadium on Sunday, November 9, at 2 p.m.
 
The Paladins grabbed the lead in the 44^th minute on sophomore Wilfer Bustamante's seventh goal of the season. Luke Hutzell settled the ball along the sideline in front of the Wofford bench before chipping a pass forward. Landon Hill flicked the ball into the path of Bustamante who rounded his defender on the right side of the box before firing a shot to the far side of the net at the 43:15 mark.
 
As the Paladins got the second half underway, UNC Greensboro finished off a 3-0 victory over Mercer that delivered Furman at least a share of the regular season title and the No. 1 seed. Furman controlled more of the possession in the second half and doubled its lead in the 68^th minute when Diego Hernandez unleashed a rocket into the top-center of the net from outside the box off an assist from Greyson Travis. The score marked the team-leading eighth of the season for Hernandez, who was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Year Leaderboard earlier in the week.
 
"I'm proud of this team for getting another shutout in conference play and claiming the outright regular season title," said Paladin head coach Doug Allison. "Wilfer and Diego both scored quality goals and Ivan did a great job to get the shutout. I'm just really proud of this team's effort."
 
Redshirt-freshman Ivan Horvat recorded one save to earn the clean sheet for the Paladins. Pepe Hinterschuster turned away two shots for the Terriers.
 
Wofford posted a 14-11 edge in total shots, but Furman managed a 4-2 advantage in shots on target en route to its sixth consecutive victory. The 2-0 decision extended the Paladins unbeaten run to nine matches entering postseason play.
 
The regular season crown is the 12^th for Furman under Allison's leadership. Furman is seeking its second straight SoCon Tournament title.
 
Final Regular Season Standings
1. #7 Furman (12-1-4, 4-0-1 SoCon)
2. Mercer (5-9-4, 3-1-1 SoCon)
3. #23 UNC Greensboro (10-3-4, 3-2-0 SoCon)
4. ETSU (2-8-4, 2-3-0 SoCon)
5. Wofford (5-10-2, 1-4-0 SoCon)
6. VMI (3-11-3, 1-4-0 SoCon)
 
SoCon Men's Soccer Championship
First Round
Greenville, S.C.
Nov. 7 – No. 4 ETSU vs. No. 5 Wofford (4:00 pm)
 
Macon, Ga.
Nov. 7 – No. 3 UNC Greensboro vs. No.6 VMI (7:00 pm)
 
Semifinals
Greenville, S.C.
Nov. 9 – No. 1 Furman vs. ETSU/Wofford winner (2:00 pm)
 
Macon, Ga.
Nov. 9 – No. 2 Mercer vs. UNCG/VMI winner (7:00 pm)
 
Finals
Nov. 15 or No. 16 at highest remaining seed (time TBD)
 
 
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