Bears Conclude 2012 Road Slate at USC Upstate on Sunday
10/27/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's soccer team travels to USC Upstate to take on the Spartans on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in a match that has serious seeding implications in the upcoming Atlantic Sun Tournament.
Mercer (10-5-1, 5-1-0 A-Sun) currently leads Florida Gulf Coast by two points with just two league games remaining in the race for the 2012 A-Sun Conference regular season title. The Bears can clinch no worse than a No. 2 seed and a first round bye in the A-Sun Tournament with a win over USC Upstate on Sunday afternoon.
Scouting the Opposition
USC Upstate (5-7-1, 3-2-0 A-Sun) enters Sunday's contest with a lot left to play for this season as well thanks to its play of late. The Spartans have won two-straight A-Sun Conference games, including a 1-0 overtime victory over Lipscomb last time out on October 21. USC Upstate has had success this season due to its defensive mindset and the play of goalkeeper Dani Alvarado. Alvarado ranks second to Mercer's Greg Ranjitsingh in the A-Sun statistics in goals against average (0.96), save percentage (.822) and shutouts (5). The Spartans are more than just a stout defensive group, however, thanks to the ability of sophomore striker Dave Musambi, who ranks fourth in the A-Sun with 12 points on five goals and two assists.
Last Time Out
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's soccer team clinched a spot in the Atlantic Sun Tournament for the fifth-straight season under head coach Brad Ruzzo with a gritty 2-1 win over Northern Kentucky on Thursday evening at Bear Field.
Mercer is now tied with the 2002 squad for its best record after 16 games in program history.
The Bears improved to 6-0-0 at Bear Field this season and halted a red-hot Northern Kentucky (6-9-1, 3-2-1 A-Sun) squad that had a 6-2-1 overall record over its last nine matches.
Senior Richie Edmondson and junior Ehjayson Henry scored goals for Mercer while Ranjitsingh made eight saves to secure the win and increase his league-leading save percentage up to 84.4 percent.
Game Notes
- Mercer is currently sitting on 28 goals scored this season, which is the most scored by a team during the five-year tenure of head coach Brad Ruzzo. The Bears haven't scored 30 goals in a season since the 2005 squad collected 32 tallies.
- Junior Ryan King currently leads the A-Sun Conference with eight assists this season. The Norcross, Ga. product is now tied for the third-most assists in a single-season by a Mercer player, and is just three away from the all-time mark of 11 set by Vince Dattilo back in 1992.
