February 16, 2000

FURMAN OPENS SPRING SCHEDULE AGAINST SOUTH CAROLINA

GREENVILLE, SC -- The Furman men's soccer team will open its 2000 spring schedule Thursday at home against arch-rival South Carolina. The annual in-state tilt is the first of five matches on the spring slate for the Paladins.

Four of the five spring matches will be played at Eugene Stone III Soccer Stadium as the Paladins host the Charleston Battery, a professional soccer team in the A-League, on March 25. Furman will host Presbyterian College on March 28 and take on Kentucky in the second match of a doubleheader with the Lady Paladins on April 2. Furman's lone road match will be against the A-League Atlanta Silverbacks on April 6. The Paladins will conclude their spring schedule with the traditional Alumni match on April 29.

"I am really looking forward to giving some of our younger players more experience," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "We lost a number of seniors from last year's team, but there is still a wealth of talent returning. I believe we are playing a very challenging schedule that will really let us test our returning players and get them ready for a great season in 2000."

Furman is coming off its best season in school history as the Paladins finished the season with a 21-2-1 record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Furman finished the season ranked third in the nation by Soccer America.

Furman Men's Soccer 2000 Spring Schedule

Date Opponent Site Time

Feb. 17 South Carolina Greenville 6:30

March 25 Charleston Battery (A-League) Greenville 2:00

March 28 Presbyterian College Greenville 6:00

April 2 Kentucky Greenville 2:30

April 6 Atlanta Silverbacks (A-League) Atlanta, Ga. 6:00

April 29 Furman Alumni Match Greenville 1:00