Greenville, S.C. – Southern Conference regular season champion Furman scored a pair of goals in each half to top Wofford, 4-2, in Sunday's SoCon Men's Soccer Championship semifinal round at Stone Soccer Stadium to advance to next weekend's finals.
 
The Paladins (13-1-4), ranked fifth nationally and riding a seven-match winning streak following Sunday's victory, will host the championship match on Sunday, November 16, on Seagraves Field at Eugene Stone III Soccer Stadium against the winner of tonight's contest between No. 3 seed UNC Greensboro and No. 2 seed Mercer. Next Sunday's kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Tickets will go on sale for $10 later this week on FurmanPaladins.com and SoConSports.com.
 
Furman wasted little time taking control of the semifinal matchup as Caleb Johnson drew a foul in the box at the 12:10 mark and SoCon Player of the Year Diego Hernandez converted from the penalty spot for his team-leading ninth goal of the year. The Paladins doubled their advantage in the 40^th minute. Connor Stout and Trip Campbell combined to play Gianluca Rizzo free behind the Wofford backline and the freshman deposited his shot to increase the margin to 2-0 prior to intermission.
 
Hernandez was tripped in the penalty box less than 10 minutes into the second half and SoCon Freshman of the Year Braden Dunham drilled his spot kick at 54:24 to give the Paladins a 3-0 lead. After Wofford's Samuel Byron pulled a goal back in the 56^th minute, Dunham struck again, unleashing a left-footed rocket into the right-hand corner from outside the box at the 59:38 mark. Adam Celik tallied a consolation goal for the Terriers in the 83^rd minute to cap the scoring.
 
"I'm really proud of our guys and their effort today," said Paladin head coach Doug Allison. "It's so tough to win these Southern Conference games. We're just happy to advance and can't wait for next Sunday."
 
Redshirt-freshman Ivan Horvat, the SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year, was forced into just one save and allowed one goal in his 82 minutes of action to earn the win while Wofford Pepe Hinterschuster turned away five shots in the loss.
 
The Paladins managed a 14-6 edge in total shots for the game and posted a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Sunday's victory marked Furman's fourth straight triumph over Wofford, including its second in eight days. The Paladins, who have claimed 15 SoCon Tournament crowns, advanced to their third consecutive SoCon final and will go in search of their first back-to-back titles since 2014-15.
 
 
SoCon Men's Soccer Championship
First Round
Greenville, S.C.
Nov. 7 – No. 5 Wofford 2, No. 4 ETSU 1, OT2
Macon, Ga.
Nov. 7 – No. 3 UNC Greensboro 5, No. 6 VMI 1
 
Semifinals
Greenville, S.C.
Nov. 9 – No. 1 Furman 4, No. 5 Wofford 2
Macon, Ga.
Nov. 9 – No. 2 Mercer vs. No. 3 UNCG, 7 p.m.
 
Finals
Nov. 16 UNCG/Mercer winner at No. 1 Furman, 2 p.m.
 
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