October 24, 2000
GREENVILLE -- Much is always on the line when Clemson and Furman meet in men's soccer and Wednesday's match-up at Clemson's Riggs Field is no exception. Not only is bragging rights as the unofficial South Carolina state champion on the line (both teams tied USC), but Wednesdayıs match will go a long way in determining seeding and possible at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament.
Furman enters the match ranked 11th by Soccer America with a 13-2-1 overall record. The Paladins have clinched the Southern Conference regular season title for the third straight year and the No. 1 seed at next weekıs conference tournament in Charleston, S.C.
Despite a few slips, Furman has produced another exceptional season and looks to build on last yearıs NCAA quarterfinal appearance. Furman has been led by All American John Barry Nusum, who has scored 12 goals and recorded eight assists on the year. Nusum leads the team and the Southern Conference in scoring with 32 points.
Clemson enters the match ranked eighth in Soccer America with a 10-3-1 mark and is fresh off a road 2-1 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday. Clemson is currently in fifth place in the ACC with a 2-3 league mark. Fabio Tambosi has led the way for the Tigers offensively as he has scored 13 goals on the year.
The Furman-Clemson men's soccer rivalry has taken on new significance since Doug Allison took over the Furman program and Trevor Adair became Clemsonıs head coach in 1995. Adair was an assistant at South Carolina in the mid-1980s and recruited a young British phenom named Doug Allison. Allison came to the United States to go to school at South Carolina and played for four seasons under head coach Mark Berson and assistant Adair.
Each has been highly successful since taking over the Furman and Clemson programs. Allison holds the second best winning percentage in the nation among active coaches as he is 91-23-8 in his almost-six seasons at Furman. Adair is 78-33-9 in that same time span at Clemson. Since 1995, the series record is even at 2-2 with each team winning both of their home contests.
Last season, Furman defeated Clemson 3-2 in double overtime in Greenville. Furman and Clemson have two of the most prolific offenses in the nation as the Paladins are fourth in the nation in goals per match, while Clemson is fifth.
"This will be a big game for us," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "Clemson is a big rival and it should be a great match."