Q: If you had to describe this season in three words, what would those words be and why?
Positive: We had a common goal at the start of the year. We shared our goals for the season in the locker room, and one of them was the pinnacle of reaching the NCAA National Tournament. That is where we are right now; we are in the championship game against Mercer, which were a fairly good team last time we played them but we had the better of them. If we win this game, we will make the NCAA’s. That is the ultimate goal for any SoCon team, but, most importantly, for Furman.
Adversity: Although we have done well this season and gotten to the final, we have had many injuries along the way for some of our main players who are normally in the starting XI. We had to overcome that. There were players who probably did not think they would get minutes, but they have been filling in for certain roles. We have supported all the players coming in and taking those spots. We have helped bring the best out of them, and that has worked out well.
Close: Not as in how close we are to the NCAA’s but how close the team is overall. I have been here for three and a half years now. I am in my senior year, and this is as close-knitted as a team we have been in my time here. We have a very strong team chemistry from seniors all the way down to the freshmen. Everybody is on the same level. That is what I like—that team bonding between us.
Q: Ahead of today’s championship game, what is the team’s main focus?
The main focus for tomorrow is to do everything we can to win the game. I know that sounds cliche but we played Mercer around two to three weeks ago out there. We were playing at their grounds, and we came out on top. We dominated the ball; we dominated our battles, and I just want to replicate that in tomorrow’s game. I feel like [if] we come out with the same attitude; we will have the dub.
Q: Do you have a message to the fans coming to Eugene Stone Stadium today?
It is obviously a huge game. We need all the support we can get. Every athletics team will be there rooting for us, trying to motivate us to achieve what we want for all Furman students: the championship. It is the Dins and that is what we fight for. Furman is a small school. With that being said, we will do big things.
Q: This is the first time Furman Men’s Soccer Team reached the SoCon final since 2018. What would a championship mean to the program?
It would be huge. We have not reached the final in five years, so to be here now is a great achievement. There are players on our team who have taken their fifth year. They have done their four years here with an extra year of eligibility left due to the pandemic. They wanted to come back to this program and be part of something special. They believed we would go far this season, so seeing them come back and achieve this is a great feeling.
Q: Moving past the SoCon final, how do you foresee the team’s future? What is the limit for you?
Furman and its soccer program have a rich history. We have had some great professionals move through the ranks here—the likes of Dempsey and Zimmerman. It is great to see that we are living up to that legacy. We are building on that, so if we can win the championship game, I see us going on a run. I feel like it is all about belief, all about positivity. Once all players play with confidence after this championship game, there is really no limit. It is college soccer, at the end of the day; anything can happen. If we stick together and grind out the wins, who knows where we can go?
Q: If you had to name one unforgettable moment from this season, what would that moment be?
My highlight of the season was our game against UNCG, who won the championship last year. They went far in the NCAA’s; they went to the Elite Eight, so they were our rivals this year. We wanted to beat them; we wanted to show them what we have got. We beat them 1-0, and I got the assist for our goal. That was a great feeling for me. I also know, as a team, that was the win we love the most this season. That was the win which gave us the confidence that we could do great things.
Q: What is one big lesson you will take with you as you leave Furman?
One big lesson from four years of this program is support. I know the word “support” is a very broad term. But everything I have witnessed at Furman was about helping each other, especially within this program, not only within our current team but also our soccer alumni base. A lot of soccer alumni are constantly giving back to the program, not just in terms of financial support but also help, support and guidance for the graduating players whether within business, whether just mentorship or personal experience and career growth. That is something I want to do after I graduate from Furman.
