"Our number one goal for this season is to make the playoffs," Allison said. "That is our first hurdle. We plan to take it one step at a time and then shoot for our ultimate goal, a national championship."
In Allison's three seasons at the helm of the men's soccer program, the Paladins have claimed two Southern Conference regular season and tournament crowns, tallied a record of 41-15-4, earned two trips to an NCAA play-in game, and set a Furman record by winning 20 consecutive home matches. In that span, Furman has claimed victories over national powers South Carolina, Clemson, North Carolina, Wake Forest, UNC Greensboro, and Florida International.
Allison has once again provided his team with one of the most demanding schedules in the South region. The 1998 schedule includes seven new teams that the Paladins have never faced, all of whom are powers in their respective regions. The Paladins open at home against UAB and will face two stiff tests in Columbus, Ohio, against Ohio State and Bowling Green during the first week of the season. Furman will also participate in the College of Charleston tournament where it meets Navy and Florida Atlantic and in the Clemson tournament where the Paladins will tackle New Hampshire and Cal Poly SLO. The Southern Conference race will be even tighter this season with the addition of College of Charleston, while national power UNC Greensboro, as well as the traditional conference foes will provide stiff tests for the Paladins.
As far as personnel is concerned, Furman will be very experienced with seven starters and 15 lettermen returning off last year's 19th ranked squad. Furman will have some huge holes to fill with the loss of two-time NSCAA/Umbro First Team All-American defender Pete Santora, the Paladins' third all-time leading scorer Ryan Higginbotham (36 goals, 14 assists in career), and 1996 Southern Conference Freshman-of-the-Year Peter Slobodyan. Allison, though, has managed to attract some of the nation's top prospects to Greenville, as Furman boasts what could be one of the top recruiting classes in the country, featuring two U.S. National Team members and a member of Bermuda's National Team.
Sophomore Carl Junot (six goals in '97) heads the list of incumbent forwards for the Paladin attack. Junot, who registered a hat trick in his second collegiate start, was named second team All-Southern Conference despite missing much of his freshman season. Senior Brent Rosser (three goals, three assists in '97) is fully recovered from a late-season injury and will be counted on for both leadership and a goal-scoring punch in 1998. Other returning players who should contribute at forward include junior Andy Foy (three goals in '97), junior Geno Mayes (two assists in '97), and sophomore Sean Nickerson. John Barry Nusum, a member of the Bermuda Under-20 National Team and Vaughn Bethell, of Lakeland, Fla., will also likely see playing time at forward.
The Paladins deepest and strongest position entering the preseason is likely the midfield, where Furman returns four prolific performers and adds a number of talented freshman. Daniel Alvarez (four goals, 10 assists in '97) was a first team All-Southern Conference pick and a third team All-South Region selection a year ago. Also returning are incumbent starters Stephen Rodriguez (four goals, one assist in '97) and Seth Marks (seven assists in '97), as well as sophomore Shaun Stone (two goals, three assists). Paul Leese transfers to Furman as a senior, following a very productive season at Charleston Southern (seven goals, twelve assists in '97), while Ryan Conway joins the Paladins as a junior, following two seasons at Clemson. Scott Jones, of Sandy, Utah, and Jack Handy, of Lilburn, Ga., are also set to make contributions at midfield.
Matt Goldsmith, of Roswell, Ga., could play either midfield or defender. Goldsmith, 18, is Furman's most highly-touted recruit ever and is a member of the U.S. Under-20 National Team and is a two-time Parade All-American. In 1998, Parade recognized Goldsmith as the top midfielder in the nation. Along with Goldsmith, Allison has brought in John Bradford, of Winston-Salem, N.C., a member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team.
The rest of Furman's defense will feature senior Andy White and junior Graham Seagraves, each of who started every match a year ago. Newman Bankston and Alex Pereira will also vie for playing time at defender. Peter Eiland, of Atlanta, Ga., is another freshman with a lot of potential.
Furman has the luxury of having two very talented, productive goalkeepers again this season. Senior Ronnie Pascale is a three-year starter and was ranked as high as fourth in the nation in Goals Against Average a year ago. Last season's back-up goalkeeper Scott Blount is so talented, however, he was recently invited to join the U.S. Under-20 National Team. With two goalkeepers the caliber of Pascale and Blount, Furman's defense appears to be as stingy as ever in 1998.