Greenville, SC — Wofford fell to rival Furman on Saturday night, but the Terriers still left Greenville as Southern Conference regular season co-champions. Wofford finished league play at 3-1-2 with 11 points, level with the Paladins at the top of the table, and claimed its first conference championship since 2013. The Terriers are 8-4-4 overall heading into the SoCon Tournament.
Furman scored first in the ninth minute through Caleb Johnson, but Wofford answered quickly. In the 15th minute Fabian Menendez picked off a short pass from the Furman goalkeeper, took a few quick touches and fed Taylor Bowen in the box. Bowen finished for his third goal of the season to make it 1-1, and the match stayed level through halftime with chances at both ends.
The Paladins took over after the break. Trip Campbell scored in the 57th minute on a goal that stood after a review for a possible handball, and Jack Travis and Wilfer Bustamante added goals in the 61st and 69th minutes. Wofford kept pushing late and had several looks inside the Furman box but could not find a second goal.
Menendez had two shots and the assist on the equalizer in 79 minutes. Bowen scored on his only shot in 15 minutes, and Bear Rice put one of his two shots on target off the bench in 51 minutes. Max Talley, Adam Celik and Hugo Harvey each had a shot, and Scott Cheevers and Evan Morris played all 90 minutes. Morris made three saves.
The title caps a strong regular season for the Old Gold and Black. Wofford has scored 26 goals in 16 matches, 1.63 per game, and put 48.1 percent of its shots on target compared with 35.9 percent for opponents. The Terriers are 5-for-6 on penalty kicks and have not picked up a red card all year.
Menendez leads the team with 14 points on five goals and four assists, and he is a perfect 5-for-5 from the spot. Cheevers, Celik, Franklin Spires and Bowen have three goals apiece, and Clemens Astrup has added a goal and four assists. In goal, Pepe Hinterschuster is 7-2-2 with three shutouts and a 1.19 goals against average, while Morris is 1-2-2 with a clean sheet in five appearances.
Wofford earned the No. 2 seed and a bye into the SoCon semifinals. The Terriers host VMI, Mercer or ETSU at Snyder Field on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 5:00 PM ET on ESPN+.