Mercer University
UNC Asheville
Men's Soccer Coasts to 4-0 Win over UNC-Asheville
9/26/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MACON, Ga. – After being shutout for the first time in almost a full calendar year last time out, the Mercer men's soccer team used an offensive explosion to come away with a 4-0 win over UNC-Asheville on Wednesday evening at Bear Field.
Mercer (5-3-1) out-shot UNC-Asheville (1-8) 19-8 and held a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks in the match. The Bears four goals tonight matches their 4-0 shutout win over Presbyterian on September 8 for the most goals in a single game this season.
The Mercer offensive fireworks didn't take long to get started, thanks to some nifty passing in the box in the eighth minute of play. Sophomore Carl-Oscar Andersson dribbled in and fed a ball to junior Ryan King who immediately snapped a pass across the box to sophomore Ashani Samuels for a sweet one-timer goal to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.
Just over 10 minutes later Andersson and King both assisted on another goal, this tally by senior Richie Edmondson, to stake the Orange and Black out to a 2-0 advantage.
The Bears third goal of the evening came off a quality strike from freshman forward Juan Jose Morales in the 66th minute. King played a ball into Morales' feet, and the Guatemala City, Guatemala native turned from about 30 yards away from goal and fired a quality strike into the upper-left 90 to put Mercer ahead, 3-0.
The Orange and Black's fourth and final goal of the evening came on a set piece when junior Brady O'Brien whipped in a corner kick that Samuels jumped up and headed into the back of the net for his second goal of the match to complete the 4-0 win.
King had a career-best three assists in the contest, falling just short of the Mercer single-game record of four set by Marshall Eckford against Georgia Southwestern in 1981.
Mercer goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh tied a season-high with six saves to pick up his 12th career shutout, moving him into a tie for seventh for the most shutouts in Atlantic Sun Conference history
Mercer begins its A-Sun Conference slate next time out when it travels to Johnson City, Tenn. to take on East Tennessee State on Sunday afternoon. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Summers-Taylor Stadium.
