August 26, 2000
GREENVILLE, SC -- The fifth ranked Furman men's soccer team will host its purple/white scrimmage Sunday at 2 p.m. at Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium. Admission is free.
The scrimmage will be the final organized tune-up before the season opener on Friday, September 1 against Georgia State in Conway, S.C. The Paladins will also play Bowling Green on Sunday, September 3 in the Coastal Carolina tournament. Earlier in the week, Furman downed Charleston Southern 3-1 in a scrimmage in North Charleston.
The Paladins enter the 2000 season with high expectations after one of the best seasons of any athletic team in school history in 1999. Last season, Furman advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, posted a 21-2-1 record, and concluded the year ranked No. 3 by Soccer America and No. 5 by the NSCAA.
Furman opens the 2000 season ranked No. 5 by the NSCAA. The Paladins were also the unanimous choice among eligible voters in the Southern Conference preseason coachıs poll.
Furman returns a talented nucleus of players, including first team All American forward John Barry Nusum and second team All American Matt Goldsmith. Both Goldsmith and Nusum were selected by College Soccer Online as preseason All Americans. Furman will count on captains Carl Junot and Scott Blount for leadership.