FURMAN TO HOST SOUTH CAROLINA IN MEN'S SOCCER

The 15th-ranked Furman men's soccer team will host South Carolina on Sunday at 2 p.m. in a critical match with national and regional implications.

The Paladins are 6-0 on the season and ranked in all three national soccer polls. Furman is 15th in the nation in the Soccer America poll, 16th in the Soccer Times national poll, and ranked 20th by the National Soccer Coaches Assocatian of America (NSCAA). The Gamecocks, 4-2-1 on the year, were ranked in the nation's top ten in the preseason, but were upset by Southern Conference foe Davidson in their second match of the season. South Carolina's only appearence in the current men's soccer polls is a sixth place nod in the South Region, a poll that the Paladins place fourth.

While a Furman-South Carolina men's soccer contest is always a huge match, this rivalry has taken a new twist in the last four seasons. Furman's head coach since 1995, Doug Allison is South Carolina's all-time leading scorer. Allison, a Gamecock forward from 1984-87, played for current South Carolina coach Mark Berson. Allison scored 63 goals and recorded 32 assists over his career as he helped lead South Carolina to a 67-14-6 combined record, including and NCAA quarterfinal finish in 1985. Allison later served as an assistant coach with the Gamecocks from 1991-94.

While at Furman, Allison has tallied an impressive 63-19-6 record in a little over four seasons as head coach. Entering the 1999 season, Furman's record since Allison's arrival was 57-19-6, 12th best in the nation. The Gamecocks mark in that same time span was 56-21-3, good for 14th in the country.

Sunday's match-up promises to be an exciting contest between two of the top teams in the region. Ticket prices are set at $4 for adults, $2 for children, and $1 for youth soccer players in uniform.