August 10, 2001
GREENVILLE, SC -- The Furman women's soccer team arrived on campus Friday as the Lady Paladins welcomed seven freshmen in its quest to three-peat as Southern Conference champions and earn its third straight NCAA Tournament berth.
Furman will hold its first practice with upperclassmen on Saturday. Freshmen will begin training with the team next week prior to the Lady Paladinsı departure for Europe on August 16.
Furman is coming off back-to-back 20-3 campaigns in which the squad advanced to the NCAA Tournament before falling in the first round. Over the last two years, the Lady Paladins have the fourth best record in the nation.
"I am excited about the start of this season," said Furman womenıs soccer coach Brian Lee. "I believe we have the talent to continue our march toward national prominence in womenıs soccer and make an impact in the NCAA Tournament."
Among the key returnees for the Lady Paladins are sophomore Emily Turgeon, and seniors Kaye Brownlee, Melissa Turner, and Lauren Killey. Turgeon led the nation in scoring as a freshman with 23 goals and 17 assists. Brownlee was Furman's first-ever first team All-American in 1999 as she ranks in the top 25 all-time in assists in NCAA history. Turner and Killey are both all-south region performers.
The Lady Paladins will be looking to improve on their 18-match regular season Southern Conference winning streak this season. Furman has not lost a regular season conference match since October 27, 1998.
Furman opens the 2001 campaign against LaSalle in the Baylor Labor Day Classic on August 31. Furmanıs schedule also includes home matches against Clemson and Vanderbilt. The Lady Paladins will spend most of preseason touring Europe, playing four matches against English and Dutch premier level teams.