The Paladins open the 2012 campaign with an exhibition contest against nationally-ranked Wake Forest at Stone Soccer Stadium on August 18, and begin regular season play with road trips to Presbyterian (Aug. 24) and Gardner-Webb (Aug. 27) the following week. Furman will open play in College of Charleston's Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic versus the Dayton Flyers on August 31, before facing off against the Stanford Cardinal two days later in the first match between the schools since the 2002 NCAA Sweet Sixteen battle in Palo Alto, Calif., which Stanford won 2-1.

Furman opens its home schedule September 7-9, when it hosts the annual Diadora/Spinx Furman Invitational at Stone Stadium. The Paladins will host UNC Wilmington on the opening night of the tournament and entertain the Memphis Tigers in the tournament finale. The following week, Furman will make its first trip to Fort Myers, Fla., to take part in the FGCU - Courtyard by Marriott Classic where it will take on both Florida International and defending Atlantic Sun Conference champion Florida Gulf Coast.

"We always like to play a challenging schedule that helps prepare us for the Southern Conference and NCAA Tournament play," said Allison. "The league is tough as always and we just can't wait to get started with the new season."

After a non-conference road trip to USC Upstate and home matches versus North Florida and East Tennessee State, the Paladins open Southern Conference play at home versus College of Charleston on October 2. Elon, who ousted Furman from the 2011 SoCon Tournament en route to an NCAA Tournament berth, will entertain the Paladins on October 6, before Furman returns to Greenville for a key four-match homestand that includes meetings with Clemson (Oct. 9), Appalachian State (Oct. 13), Davidson (Oct. 16) and UNCG (Oct. 20). The Paladins conclude the regular season with trips to Georgia Southern and Wofford.

Southern Conference Tournament quarterfinal round action takes place on the home fields of the top four seeds on November 3, and the SoCon semifinals and finals will be held November 8-10, at the WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C.

Furman returns 10 starters from a 2011 squad that posted a 14-4-4 record, finished second in the SoCon with a 4-1-2 mark and earned an at large berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Paladins are led by SoCon Player of the Year Coleton Henning, who tallied seven goals and added four assists last season. Junior Martin Ontiveros and senior Danny Hojaij anchor the midfield while SoCon Freshman of the Year Walker Zimmerman returns at center back.

2012 FURMAN SOCCER SCHEDULE
Date Day Opponent Site Time
Aug. 18 Sat. WAKE FOREST (Exh.) GREENVILLE 4:00
Aug. 24 Fri. Presbyterian Clinton, S.C. 7:00
Aug. 27 Mon. Gardner-Webb Boiling Springs, N.C. 7:00
Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic
Aug. 31 Fri. Dayton Mt. Pleasant, S.C. 5:00
Sept. 2 Sun. Stanford Mt. Pleasant, S.C. 12:00

DIADORA/SPINX FURMAN INVITATIONAL
Sept. 7 Fri. UNC WILMINGTON GREENVILLE 7:00
Sept. 9 Sun. MEMPHIS GREENVILLE 2:30

FGCU-Courtyard by Marriott Classic
Sept. 14 Fri. FIU Fort Myers, Fla. 5:00
Sept. 16 Sun. Florida Gulf Coast Fort Myers, Fla. 2:30

Sept. 21 Fri. USC Upstate Spartanburg, S.C. 7:30
Sept. 23 Sun. NORTH FLORIDA GREENVILLE 4:00
Sept. 27 Thurs. EAST TENNESSEE STATE GREENVILLE 7:00
Oct. 2 Tues. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON* GREENVILLE 7:00
Oct. 6 Sat. Elon* Elon, N.C. 7:00
Oct. 9 Tues. CLEMSON GREENVILLE 7:00
Oct. 13 Sat. APPALACHIAN STATE* GREENVILLE 7:30
Oct. 16 Tues. DAVIDSON* GREENVILLE 7:00
Oct. 20 Sat. UNCG* GREENVILLE 6:00
Oct. 23 Tues. Georgia Southern* Statesboro, Ga. 4:00
Oct. 27 Sat. Wofford* Spartanburg, S.C. 7:00
Nov. 3 Sat. SoCon First Round TBD TBA
Nov. 8 Thurs. SoCon Semifinals Cary, N.C. TBA
Nov. 10 Sat. SoCon Championship Match Cary, N.C. TBA

* - Southern Conference Match