Nov. 22, 2007

Greenville, S.C. - No. 20 Furman will look to kick off a successful run in the 2007 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship when it hosts the Campbell Camels in first round action at 1 p.m. Saturday at Stone Soccer Stadium.

The Paladins enter their seventh NCAA Tournament and first since 2002 with an 18-3-0 overall record this season. Head coach Doug Allison's squad earned a spot in the 48-team field by capturing the Southern Conference's automatic bid with a 1-0 overtime win over rival UNC Greensboro in the league finals last weekend in Greensboro, N.C.

Led by two-time SoCon Player-of-the-Year Jon Leathers and SoCon Freshman-of-the-Year Haris Cekic, Furman has outscored its opposition 50-12 in 21 matches. The Paladins have surrendered multiple goals in a match just twice all season.

Campbell (13-5-3) secured its first NCAA berth in school history by downing Jacksonville in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament finals. The Camels have lost only once in their last nine matches while remaining undefeated in their last five road matches.

The winner of Saturday's match will earn a second round assignment at No. 2 seed Wake Forest (17-2-2) on November 28, at 7:00 p.m. The top 16 teams in the field received a first round bye and will host matches in the round of 32. The NCAA Division I Men's College Cup is set for December 14 and 16, at SAS Stadium in Cary, N.C.

Tickets for Saturday's match are $7 for adults, $3 for children under 16 and $3 for Furman and Campbell students with a valid university ID. Tickets will go on sale one hour prior to kickoff.

Furman NCAA Tournament Notes