Men's soccer looks to improve conference luck

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.