Furman’s women’s soccer team has claimed the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Southern Conference Women’s Soccer Championship after posting an 8-0-1 league mark this season. The Paladins, who shared the regular-season championship, earned the No 1. seed via tiebreaker.
The tournament begins Wednesday with a pair of first-round matches on campus sites. The quarterfinal round follows on Oct. 28-29 at campus sites, while the semifinals and championship will be played at the Samford University Track and Soccer Stadium on Nov.
3 and 5, respectively.
Furman and Samford entered the weekend with 7-0 marks, each winning Friday before battling to a scoreless draw Sunday. The Paladins, who beat Chattanooga 1-0 on Friday, which finished the 2017 season with a 12-2-2 record overall and will host either No. 8 seed ETSU or No. 9 seed Wofford on Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. ET.
Samford, who finished the regular season with a 12-5-2 overall record, has now claimed at least a share of the Southern Conference championship for the fourth straight year. The Bulldogs defeated Wofford 2-0 on Friday before battling Furman to a tie on Sunday. Samford will face either No. 7 Mercer or No. 10 The Citadel on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. CT.
UNCG locked up the No. 3 spot on Friday, defeating Mercer 1-0. The Spartans finished the regular season 8-7-3 overall, topping The Citadel 4-0 on Sunday. UNCG will host No. 6 Chattanooga on Oct, 28 at 7 p.m. ET.
Western Carolina and VMI both finished the season 4-4-1 in conference play, with the Catamounts earning the No. 4 seed through a tiebreaker. VMI earned a 1-0 victory over Mercer on Sunday, vaulting from the bottom four to the No. 5 seed. The two sides will face off on Sunday, October 29 at 1 p.m.
Mercer claimed the No. 7 seed while ETSU is No. 8. The Bears will welcome No. 10 The Citadel to campus on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET., while the Bucs will host No. 9 Wofford at 7 p.m. ET.
The tournament winner earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship. The SoCon final on Nov. 5 will air live on ESPN3.
2017 Women's Soccer Championship
Wednesday, Oct. 25
First Round (at higher seeds)
Match 1: No. 9 Wofford at No. 8 ETSU, 7 p.m. ET
Match 2: No 10 The Citadel at No. 7 Mercer, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, Oct. 28
Quarterfinals (at higher seeds)
Match 5: Winner Match 2 at No. 2 Samford, 7 p.m. CT
Match 6: No. 6 Chattanooga at No. 3 UNCG, 7 p.m. ET
Sunday Oct. 29
Match 3: Winner Match 1 at No. 1 Furman, 2 p.m. ET
Match 4: No. 5 VMI at No. 4 Western Carolina, 1 p.m. ET
Friday, Nov. 3
Semifinals (Samford University Track and Soccer Stadium; Birmingham, Ala.)
Match 7: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 5 p.m. CT
Match 8: Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 7:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, Nov. 5
Final (Samford University Track and Soccer Stadium; Birmingham, Ala.)
Match 9: Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8, 1 p.m. CT