March 10, 2008

Greenville, S.C. - Furman midfielder Eliot Paschalis has signed a contract to join the Richmond Kickers of the United Soccer League's Second Division, it was announced by the club this weekend.

Paschalis completed a standout career with the Paladins this fall as the London, England, native earned second team All-Southern Conference honors after leading Furman to a 19-4-0 record, SoCon championship and NCAA Tournament bid.

"Eliot was an outstanding captain for our team and one of our unsung heroes playing at defensive midfield," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "His value to our program was evident when we had to play several games without him due to injury. I am very proud of Eliot and look forward to following his professional career."

The four-year starter played in 77 matches during his Paladin career netting 14 goals, including seven game-winners, and totaling 11 assists. He was twice named SoCon Player-of-the-Week and garnered most outstanding player honors at the 2005 Wofford/adidas Invitational and 2007 Coastal Carolina/adidas Invitational.

Richmond finished atop the USL-2 regular season standings in 2007 with a 12-3-5 record, but fell to Harrisburg City in the league finals. The Kickers are led by former Paladin netminder Ronnie Pascale who paced the second division with 12 wins and ranked third with a 0.68 goals against average this past season.

Paschalis becomes the third Paladin to join the professional ranks this offseason. Fellow seniors Shea Salinas and Jon Leathers were selected in the second round of January's MLS SuperDraft by the San Jose Earthquakes and Kansas City Wizards, respectively.