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The Furman Paladins are the 75th and final team in our 2020 men’s college lacrosse schedule preview series and the eighth and final team from the SoCon. Furman finished 4-10 overall in 2019 and 2-5 in SoCon play. The Paladins failed to qualify for the SoCon Tournament.
Here’s their entire 2020 schedule:
Furman’s 2020 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
| 2/1 | Bucknell | Furman | At Duke (in Durham, NC), First ever meeting |
| 2/8 | Hampton | Furman | |
| 2/15 | Furman | Navy | First ever meeting |
| 2/22 | Furman | Utah | |
| 2/29 | Furman | Duke | |
| 3/6 | North Carolina | Furman | |
| 3/10 | Penn State | Furman | First meeting since 2017 |
| 3/14 | Furman | Air Force | SoCon |
| 3/21 | Furman | Mercer | SoCon |
| 3/28 | Jacksonville | Furman | SoCon |
| 4/4 | High Point | Furman | SoCon |
| 4/11 | Furman | Bellarmine | SoCon |
| 4/18 | Richmond | Furman | SoCon |
| 4/25 | Furman | VMI | SoCon |
Who’s In?
- Bucknell Bison (2/1)
- Navy Midshipmen (2/15)
- Penn State Nittany Lions (3/10)
Who’s Out?
- Sacred Heart Pioneers (18-11 L)
- Canisius Golden Griffins (12-10 W)
- Georgetown Hoyas (18-6 L)
Furman’s Opponents 2019 Average Win Percentage & RPI
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
| .498 | .555 | .441 | 37.21 | 31.43 | 43 |
Circle These Dates
- 2/15 at Navy: This will be the first time that former Navy head coach Richie Meade faces off against his former team, and it’ll take place in Annapolis. Meade coached the Midshipmen for 17 seasons (1995-2011) and led Navy to the 2004 National Championship game. The Mids now have their second head coach since Meade left in former Marquette head man Joe Amplo.
- 2/22 at Utah: Things didn’t look swell for Furman in the first half against the Utes last year. Utah jumped out to a 6-0 lead midway through the second quarter, but the Paladins managed to outscore the Utes 7-2 the rest of the way. They couldn’t get one more goal late and fell against the first-year program at home.
- 3/6 vs. North Carolina: Furman’s matchups with the Tar Heels have been surprisingly close in the last three seasons. The two teams have had a pair of four-goal outcomes in 2019 and 2017, but the 2018 meeting nearly went in favor of the Paladins. They led by a goal with 2:09 left to play before UNC tied it late and won it in overtime.
- 3/21 at Mercer: Even though the Bears scored 11 of their 14 total goals in the second half last year, they’ll be a team that is aiming to sneak into the SoCon Tournament in 2020. Each team has a pair of x-factors that could make a difference. Mercer FOGO Ashton Wood won all but four draws against the Paladins last year, while Furman goalie Alec Van de Bovenkamp stopped 21 shots to preserve a one-goal win at home.
- 3/28 vs. Jacksonville: Furman overcame yet another slow start, this time against Jacksonville, to find themselves in another one-goal finish. Van de Bovenkamp made 19 saves in goal and did his part to keep the Paladins in it. Had that been a victory last year, perhaps Furman could have found a way to qualify for the SoCon Tournament.