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19

Apr, 2021

NO. 29 FURMAN TO FACE NATIONALLY-RANKED RICE IN OPENING ROUND OF NCAA D1 WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHI

Greenville, S.C. – The Southern Conference champion Furman Paladins will open their quest for the College Cup when they face Conference USA champion Rice in the opening round of the NCAA D1 Women's Soccer Championship on Wednesday, April 28, at WakeMed Field No. 2 in Cary, N.C., it was announced Monday afternoon via the NCAA Selection Show on NCAA.com. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m.

Head coach Andrew Burr's Paladins, ranked No. 29 in this week's College Soccer News Top 30 Poll, will see a familiar face on the sideline as the Owls, ranked No. 21, are coached by Burr's former college teammate and the founder of the Furman program, Brian Lee. In 11 seasons as head coach at Furman from 1994-2004, Lee led the Paladins to three SoCon Tournament titles and four NCAA appearances before serving as the head coach at LSU for 10 seasons and then joining the Rice program prior to the 2019 season. Burr took over the Furman program from Lee in 2005 and has claimed four league tournament titles in 16 seasons while ranking as the winningest coach in SoCon history.

"Wow! We are thrilled to learn that Rice is our first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament," said Burr. "Brian Lee and I have been friends since our playing days at Furman and then started this program together 27 years ago. Things have definitely come full circle. He has a great team at Rice and they will be a huge challenge for us. Our team is excited and ready to test ourselves on the big stage."

Furman, unbeaten at 8-0-2 on the season and ranked No. 9 in the latest NCAA Women's Soccer RPI, punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 with a dramatic 2-1 double overtime victory at Samford in the SoCon Championship Match on Friday afternoon. Sophomore Jasmine Greene, a Hoover Ala., native, netted the winning goal with just 17 seconds left in the second overtime period to help the Paladins secure their seventh SoCon Tournament title and eighth NCAA postseason berth.

Rice is 12-2-1 on the season and downed the Charlotte 49ers, 2-0, this past Saturday to capture the C-USA title. The Owls are riding a streak of eight consecutive shutouts.

Stay tuned to FurmanPaladins.com and @FurmanWSoccer on Twitter for further information on Furman's NCAA Tournament journey throughout the next week.

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3300 Poinsett Highway
Greenville, South Carolina 29613

Phone: 864-294-3071
Email: [email protected]

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