GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Furman men’s soccer team will travel to Columbia, S.C., to face the South Carolina Gamecocks in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship on Thursday with the winner advancing to face No. 15 seed UC Santa Barbara in the round of 32 on Sunday, Nov. 22, in Santa Barbara, Calif., it was announced on Monday.

Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium in Columbia. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for college students with ID and youth 3-17. Youth ages 2 and under get in free.

Furman posted a 1-0 victory at ETSU on Sunday to claim its second straight Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Championship and an automatic berth to its 10th NCAA Championship. Last season, the Paladins played to a 1-1 draw at UAB in the opening round of the NCAA tournament before advancing on penalty kicks. Head coach Doug Allison’s club was eliminated in round two in Seattle, Wash., as nationally ranked Washington advanced past the Paladins in penalty kicks following a 0-0 draw.

“We’re thrilled to return to the NCAA tournament against this season,” said Allison, who played his college soccer at South Carolina for head coach Mark Berson. “South Carolina is a quality opponent that we saw during the preseason, so it’s a team and place that we are familiar with.”

The Gamecocks claimed a 2-1 victory over Furman in exhibition action on Aug. 23, in Columbia. The schools have met 36 times in regular-season play with the Gamecocks holding a 21-10-5 series lead.  South Carolina captured a 3-2 victory in the last meeting in 2009.

Furman and South Carolina have met once in NCAA postseason play with the Gamecocks prevailing 1-0 in the first round of the 1993 tournament in Columbia. The Paladins are 5-8-3 in 16 previous NCAA tournament matches.