BOONE, N.C. - Elon's Chris Thomas scored the lone goal of the match off a cross from Gabe Latigue in the 33rd minute, advancing the Phoenix past No. 16 Furman 1-0, in the second semifinal of the SoCon Men's Soccer Championship at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex. The goal was Thomas' 28th of his career and his ninth game-winner.
No. 6 seed Elon (8-10-3) will take on No. 1 seed UNCG at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon in the championship match, which will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
Elon will play in its second SoCon title match in the past three seasons while looking for its first NCAA Tournament berth.
The Paladins (14-3-4) entered the semifinal game ranked 16th in the nation and on a 6-0-2 unbeaten streak. Despite Furman outshooting the Phoenix 18-6 overall and 10-1 in the second half, the Paladins were unable to find the back of the net.
Furman took three corner kicks over a span of four minutes, but the Elon defense was strong and continued to block shots to maintain their 1-0 lead in the second half. Phoenix goalkeeper Nathan Dean tallied six saves.
Alec Kann was forced to save just one shot for Furman.
The win marks the first time, Elon has defeated a nationally ranked team since 2006 when the Phoenix knocked off No. 17 UAB.