Greenville, S.C. – Furman men's soccer opens the 2026 season ranked No. 2 in the
Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Top 25, which was released on Friday.
The highest ever preseason ranking for the Paladins comes after the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, released earlier this week, saw Furman debut at No. 3 to begin the year. Washington, who defeated Furman in last year's NCAA semifinal round en route to claiming the national championship, is the preseason No. 1 ranked team in the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 while regular season opponents UNCG and Duke are ranked No. 11 and No. 15, respectively.
The Paladins return all 11 starters from last season's team that posted a 16-2-5 record, earned the school's first appearance in the NCAA College Cup, claimed the Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles, and finished No. 3 in last season's final United Soccer Coaches poll. The list of returnees includes SoCon Player of the Year and first team All-American
Diego Hernandez, SoCon Freshman of the Year and freshman All-American
Braden Dunham, and SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year
Ivan Horvat.
Furman opens its first season under head coach
Brandon Tucker with a 10 a.m. exhibition match on Saturday versus High Point, which is ranked No. 16 in the coaches poll and No. 9 in the Top Drawer preseason poll. Admission to Saturday's match at Stone Soccer Stadium is free. The Paladins kickoff regular season play on August 20 at Clemson before unveiling the 2025 NCAA College Cup banner at the home opener versus UNC Asheville on August 24.
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