By MONTE DUTTON
The last time I cultivated a passion for soccer was in an Ann Arbor bar during the World Cup while I was writing about NASCAR in Michigan. My job was writing about cars going ‘round and ‘round during the time Doug Allison was raising the roof on Furman soccer. My first fun times were when Paul Scarpa was coaching the feisty and unfunded Paladins. The last time I paid close attention was when John Tart, a classmate, was head coach.
In point of fact, I didn’t know enough to be dangerous.
Yet Allison’s 31st and most spectacular season possessed me to stay up into the wee hours watching the Paladins win against Portland, 1-0 in a perfect shootout, to make the College Cup, i.e., the college game’s final four.
Once again, the rising popularity of the sport in the States has left me far behind. I root for Manchester United because, like Clinton High School, it is known as the Red Devils.
I watched Furman’s 3-1 loss to Washington with a sinking feeling and a once-in-a-decade cold, feeling grateful RFK Jr. didn’t unleash something worse into my water supply.
Henceforth, I shall borrow almost completely from the account of Jordan Caskey, a fine writer of soccer news releases and vital cog in the Furman athletic communications machine, which generally runs on all cylinders, win, lose or draw.
Washington netted a pair of first-half goals to grab a 2-0 halftime lead en route to a 3-1 victory over No. 16 seed Furman in the NCAA Men’s College Cup semifinals Friday night at First Horizon Stadium in Cary, N.C.
With the victory, the Huskies (15-6-2) advanced to face the winner of Saint Louis and No. 15 seed N.C. State in the national championship match on Monday at 7:30 p.m. The Paladins, who saw their 14-match unbeaten run come to an end, finished the season at 16-2-5 after reaching the College Cup for the first time in program history.
“I’m so proud of these student-athletes,” said Paladin head coach Doug Allison, following the final game of his 31-year career at Furman. “It’s not just about this season. It’s about 31 years, the alumni, our fans and this great university. It’s about them going on to be great husbands and fathers. I’m just proud to be their coach.”
After controlling most of the possession in the opening half hour, Washington broke the deadlock at the 31:16 mark. Alex Hall, after entering the match just moments earlier, slid a pass between two Paladin defenders to set Zach Ramsey free in the box and the Husky slotted his shot into the left-hand corner against a stranded goalkeeper, Ivan Horvat.
The Huskies doubled their advantage in the 40th minute. A Furman defender chased down a loose ball near the top of the box but was dispossessed by Charlie Kosakoff who fired a shot past Horvat at 39:32 for his 11th goal of the campaign.
Furman, held without a shot for over 40 minutes, created a pair of chances late in the half, but Wilfer Bustamante’s chance was smothered at the right post, and Luke Hutzell’s shot from the center of the box went wide of the right post in the final minute of the half.
With the Paladins pushing to halve the deficit in the final 10 minutes, Washington capped its victory when Asher Hestad capitalized on his chance off a pass from Kosakoff to up the margin to 3-0 with 4:39 left in regulation. Hutzell helped Furman avoid the shutout with a right-footed volley less than two minutes later off assists from Connor Dunnigan and Braden Dunham.
Washington finished the match with a 24-6 advantage in total shots and 12-2 edge in shots on goal. Jadon Bowton stopped one shot to earn the victory in goal for the Huskies while Horvat compiled a season-high eight saves for the Paladins.
Allison, who led Furman to 11 Southern Conference regular-season titles, 11 SoCon Tournament crowns, two Elite Eight appearances, and the 2025 College Cup, completed his career with a 365-175-77 record.
Furman midfielder Diego Hernandez earned first team United Soccer Coaches All-America honors.
A native of Mesquite, Texas, Hernandez has scored a team-best 10 goals and paced the Southern Conference with nine assists this season. He guided Furman to the SoCon regular season and tournament titles before leading the 16th-seeded Paladins to their first appearance in the NCAA Men’s College Cup.
Hernandez received first team United Soccer Coaches All-South Region honors earlier this week and was named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which is given annually to the top play in college soccer. He was also tabbed as one of five finalists for Top Drawer Soccer’s national player of the year award.
A junior, Hernandez has netted three game-winning goals for the Paladins in 2025. He assisted on the lone goal in Furman’s 1-0 win over Western Michigan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and scored in a 3-3 draw versus Hofstra in the Sweet Sixteen before converting his spot kick in the penalty shootout to help the Paladins advance past the Pride.
Hernandez becomes the eighth first team selection for the Furman men’s soccer program and first since Ricardo Clark earned first-team honors in 2002.
Furman women’s basketball wraps up its pre-Christmas home schedule on Sunday when it plays Mars Hill in a 2 p.m. contest at Timmons Arena.
The Mars Hill contest will be streamed via ESPN+.
Furman (4-6) is seeking its third straight win at home after taking down Presbyterian (74-56) and UNC Asheville (74-67). The Paladins fell 72-56 at Georgia Southern last Sunday it their most recent outing.
Mars Hill (4-5) dropped a 109-69 verdict to Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday.
Sunday’s game will be only the second meeting between the Paladins and Lions since 1981. Furman claimed a 81-46 win in its last clash with Mars Hill during the 2016-17 season, but the Lions hold a 6-1 all-time lead in the series.
The Paladins hope sophomore guard Chantelle Stuart (6.4 ppg) will soon return to action after missing the last three game due to injury. Filling the void has been freshman Sophia Pearl (5.8).
Furman boasts three double-figure scorers, all sophomores, in forward Clare Coyle (12.3), who also tops the squad in rebounding (7.6). She is followed by guard Alyssa Ervin (11.4), a transfer from Elon, and guard Raina McGowens (10.5).
Lauren Bailey is Furman’s top three-point shooting threat, (18/52, .346) this season.
Men’s basketball has added guards Cameron Elwer and Jerrin Samuel to its roster for the 2026-27 season.
Elwer, a native of Delphos, Ohio, captured first team All-Ohio honors and was runner-up for the state’s prestigious Mr. Basketball award as a junior in 2025. Playing for his father, Aaron Elwer, at Delphos St. John’s High School, he led his team to a second consecutive Midwest Athletic Conference title, while pouring in 27.8 points per game, grabbing 7.1 rebounds per contest, and dishing out 4.4 assists per game.558, the highest percentage in Ohio history.
Samuel, a native of Winder, Ga., plays his prep basketball for coach Travis McDaniel at Winder-Barrow High School and is the No. 5 ranked player in the 2026 class in the state of Georgia by PrepHoops. The 6-5 guard earned surpassed 1,000 career points as a junior while averaging 18 points, eight rebounds, and four assists per game.
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