men’s soccer

Bears soccer continues to be poised, hungry

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Published Nov 2, in Soccer, Sports

On Oct. 19 the men’s soccer team tied the game against USC Upstate followed by a win on Oct. 22 against East Tennessee State. They followed these performances with another tie against Lipscomb on Oct. 27. This brings the team’s record to 7-6-3. Mercer’s next match is an away game against Duke University to complete their regular season. The first round of the A-Sun Tournament begins on Nov. 9. The Bears are 2-3-2 in conference play this year.
The scoreless home game against USC Upstate went into double overtime with a total of 110 minutes of game time. Even with a season high of 23 shots overall, the Bears were unable to get a goal in the net. Another season high for the game went to goal keeper Greg Ranhitsingh who made six saves.
On senior night, the Bears played a home game against ETSU that resulted in a 1-0 win for Mercer. It brought them to a tie at seventh place with ETSU in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The goal of the match was scored in the 79th minute by midfielder Carl-Oscar Andersson. Congratulations to the freshman midfielder for having scored his first goal of the season. His assist came from a pass by Matt Brazer.
Mercer’s second tie game was 1-1 road game against Lipscomb. Like the first game, this went into overtime with 110 minutes of total game time. One key difference is that Mercer was a man down. The first goal was scored by the opposing team in the 25th minute of the match. The rest of the first half stayed scoreless, but things turned around at the start of the second half when Ehjayson Henry sent a header to Ryan King who tied the game for the Bears with a shot past the goal keeper. In the 87th minute of the match, Josh Shutter received his second yellow card leaving the Bears a man down for the rest of the match.
Midfield player Will Betts leads the squad with five goals and two assists. He is followed by Josh Shutter and Ehjayson Henry with three goals.
As a team, the Bears outshine their opponent’s combined goals and shots. Mercer has outscored opponents 20-17. They have also outshot them 210-193. The majority of both goals and shots have been achieved in the second half of the games.
With 14 goals and 107 shots in their second half of games, Mercer shows that they are poised and hungry late in the match.
The first round of the Atlantic Sun Tournament will be held at Bear Field on Nov. 9. The semis and championships resume on Sunday, Nov. 13.

Men’s soccer looks to improve conference luck

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Published Oct 19, in Soccer, Sports

October hasn’t been a good month for the Mercer men’s soccer team with only one win in four games.
The first of the four was a 2-1 home game loss to Jacksonville. This game brought to an end their previous four-game winning streak. It turned out to be a tense and physical game with nine combined yellow cards. Mercer’s goal came from a free kick scored in the 74th minute by Josh Shutter.  About 10 minutes later on in the game, Mercer had a great opportunity to tie the match in the 85th minute when junior Richie Edmondson got a hold of a loose ball. His shot went wide off the mark.
The second game against Florida Gulf Coast, ranked number 25, was a 2-1 heartbreaking loss in overtime. FGCU scored a shot on goal in the 19th minute. This game also got pretty heated with 28 combined fouls and five yellow cards. In the 27th minute, a FGCU senior got his second yellow card, leaving the Florida team to play with a man down. The first goal scored was by Mercer’s Josh Shutter thanks to a free kick from Joey Heavner. The Eagles managed to tie the game in the 56th minute. The Eagles would go on to score their game-winning goal in the third minute of the overtime period.
The third game was a home match against Stetson. The Bears dropped the contest 1-0 in overtime. This marked their second-consecutive one-goal defeat past regulation. This game was made more difficult thanks to rain and strong wind. The game was scoreless for the first and second half with a few chances for Mercer to score that came up fruitless. Stetson scored a low shot in overtime to give them the win.
The fourth game was a non-conference home game against Central Arkansas that ended in a 1-0 Mercer victory. This game set Mercer’s non-conference record to 5-3-1. Will Betts scored in the fifth minute with an assist from Carl Anderson. The goal was Betts’ fifth of the season. That leads the squad. In the second half of the game, both teams had plenty of goal-scoring opportunities. Three shots from Mercer were off the post. Six high kicks ended up in the bleachers. The Bears’ defense buckled down and held Central Arkansas off the scoreboard for the shutout victory.
Mercer’s record moved to 6-6-1 after the 1-3 span in recent weeks. Their conference record stands at 1-3 as well.
They look to keep momentum on their side as they face South Carolina Upstate at home on Oct. 19.

Soccer falls to UCF, drops VMI

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Published Sep 21, in Soccer, Sports

Coming off a 2-0 win against Appalachian State, the Mercer men’s soccer team fell short to in-state rival Georgia State in a very physical game at GSU.
In the first half of the game, freshman Carl-Oscar Andersson set up a perfect ball that sophomore Ehjayson Henry used to slide past Georgia State to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, in the last quarter of the game, GSU was able to get two goals to secure their own lead of 2-1 that would win them the game.
Returning home for their fifth game of the season, versus UCF, the Bears shared an emotional moment on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 as we all took time to honor and give tribute to those who have lost their lives as a result of the act of terror that happened on Sept. 11 of 2001. Chief Gary Collins of Mercer Police offered words of reflection on the events of 9/11 and America’s response since then, followed by a moment of silence. The moment of silence was broken by a lone bag piper of Mercer University’s Pipes and Drums playing a solemn Amazing Grace.
Once the game kicked off, the Knights dominated in possession and shots on goal. Mercer was playing undermanned due to an injury and a red card in the previous match. As a result, Coach Ruzzo had a short bench to work with. In the first half, UCF took a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, UCF managed to obtain a 4-0 lead until sophomore Ehjayson Henry faked left of the defense and barreled the ball into the back of the net, putting the score at 4-1. Shortly following Henry’s goal, UCF scored their fifth and final goal of the game. Despite the firepower UCF had, senior Ryan Young held a strong defensive presence throughout the game and also managed to score his first goal of the 2011 season with a free kick in the 84th minute. The final score read 5-2 in favor of UCF.
The Mercer men’s soccer team closed out their sixth game of the season with a very physical, gut-wrenching, yet ultimately rewarding home game against VMI. The Bears clearly dominated the entire game despite an early 1-0 advantage for VMI, gained 21 minutes into the game. With seven minutes left on the clock in the first half, Mercer scored a goal to tie the game but the goal was immediately withdrawn.
Walking into the second half, another Mercer goal was frustratingly withdrawn just a few minutes in. By this point in the game, the home crowd began to get rowdy and vocal with their own frustrations and the Bears seemed to respond. In the 79th minute of the game, freshman Ashani Samuels scored from a corner kick serve for his first collegiate goal to tie the game. The crowd went wild. Finally making their way onto the scoreboard, the Bears began to act like an entirely different team. Junior Will Betts scored with 10 minutes left in the game. This 2-1 lead was quickly followed by another solid goal issued from redshirt sophomore Bryson Jones, who obtained the ball by way of a beautiful assist from freshman Carl-Oscar Andersson and junior Joey Heavner. It was an exciting end to a 3-1 victory over VMI.
After the win against VMI, the men’s soccer team now finds themselves with an overall record of 2-3-1. The Bears will kick off conference play on Sept. 29 as they take on North Florida.

Men’s soccer ties opener in 2OT, follows with 2-0 defeat, victory

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Published Sep 7, in Soccer, Sports

As the Mercer men’s soccer team begins its first round of opening games, the team is showing great promise. The second exhibition game of the season proved to be exactly the level of competition the Bears needed as they played against College of Charleston. They are a challenging team, having just participated in the NCAA tournament last year. The Bears used the game as “a final tune-up for the regular season” as well as to “define [their] identity” as a team. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.
The Bears dominated the first half of play, and played strong in the second half. Overall, the bears played well “and to get a shutout on the road is a big accomplishment against such a talented team,” says Head Coach Brad Ruzzo.
Coming off such a strong performance in exhibition against Col. of Charleston, the Bears felt comfortable and confident going into the first game of the season against UNC-Asheville. Unfortunately, inclement weather caused by Hurricane Irene provided heavy winds approaching 40 mph that made overall game play a challenging task. In spite of the weather, the team played very well throughout the game. UNC scored the first goal of the game in the 51st minute, but within seconds sophomore Ryan King artfully evaded Asheville defense to slide a low ball into the net to tie up the game. It was a disappointing draw, but the team was pleased with how they played. Coach Ruzzo looked on the bright side as he said, “Having the potential to get better while not losing the game is definitely a positive step.”
The first home opener versus the highly rated UAB was expected to be a difficult team to play since they are extremely athletic, physical, and very talented. Before the game, Coach Ruzzo touched on his expectations for the game. He said that the team would have to play at top level to come away with a positive result. As an overall strategy, “We will have to make sure that our team defending is collective while taking advantage of our opportunities in the attack,” said Ruzzo.
The Bears played valiantly throughout the very physical game, but were unable to successfully penetrate the UAB defensive line.  Within the first few minutes of the game, UAB scored the first goal with a penalty kick. In the last three minutes, the Bears’ defense faltered for a second, allowing UAB to secure a win. Despite the loss, the Bears had a few promising plays and, for the start of the season, the team shows great promise for a successful season.
Taking a look at the team, the bears have eight returning starters with experience playing in some of Mercer’s bigger games, making this the deepest team that Coach Ruzzo has had since his start at Mercer three years ago. The returning players have welcomed the new players into the Mercer family building a good camaraderie amongst the team. Coach Ruzzo comments that this is probably one of the closest group of players he has seen off the field, noticing that “they genuinely care about each other and that goes a long way on the field.”
As far as the season as a whole is considered, the team’s expectations are to reach the NCAA tournament. Coach Ruzzo gave two ways to do that: “Win your conference tournament or earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.” The Bears are faced with one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the league and are looking forward to the challenge. Coach Ruzzo said he feels “very comfortable that our team defending will be exceptional this year and it is just a matter of whether or not we take advantage of our scoring opportunities.”
In the end, the recipe for success comes down to the perfect combination of the team’s defending, work ethic, fitness, and pure heart.

Lady Bears tie exhibition, ‘Black & Orange’ squad searches for new standout performer

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Published Aug 18, in Sports

As most Mercerians begin to settle in for the beginning of another semester, Mercer’s men and women’s soccer teams have already been on campus for quite some time as they get prepared for the beginning of their seasons. With a load of returning talent on both squads, the Bears seem poised for success.
The Lady Bears soccer team completed a historic season last year as they became the first Mercer women’s soccer team to advance into the NCAA tournament after taking first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. The Bears appear ready to build upon that success as they look to once again win their conference tournament and finish first in the conference during regular season play.
“We have many talented incoming freshmen that are playing well, as well as a strong core of returning players. I think this team is talented enough to accomplish these lofty goals, but it will be a fight each and every game for them to become a reality”, stated returning Lady Bears senior Vanessa Breslin.
The Lady Bears will indeed have to work hard for their results this year as they have a very difficult non-conference schedule that includes the likes of Georgia, Florida State, and Georgia State. However, these matchups will likely benefit the Lady Bears since it gives them the opportunity to play against some very high-quality opponents before conference play begins.
Also, the Lady Bears have looked good so far this preseason as they competed in their first exhibition match Aug. 13 against the College of Charleston. The match resulted in 2-2 tie as they displayed excellent buildup toward the end of the match. The exhibition also allowed several of the Lady Bears’ talented freshmen to gain some valuable match experience.
The Lady Bears kick off their season with a home game on Aug. 19 against Jacksonville State before traveling to States.