Mercer University
UNC Greensboro
Men's Soccer Edges UNCG in Double Overtime to Advance to SoCon Championship
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Mercer men's soccer team outlasted UNCG, 1-0, in double overtime to advance to the Southern Conference championship match on Thursday night at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
After 102 scoreless minutes, SoCon Freshman of the Year Will Bagrou finally found the back of the net and secured the 1-0 victory for the Bears. The goal came after the UNCG goalkeeper stepped up to pick up a cross from Chandler Klemm, and he let the ball slip between his legs instead. Bagrou tapped it in to win the game in the 103rd minute.
Greg Ranjitsingh, the SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year, was a key performer for Mercer in the semifinal match. Ranjitsingh made a career-high 13 saves, perhaps none as important as the one he made with three seconds left in regulation that sent the match to overtime and allowed Mercer the opportunity to win.
Ranjitsingh also made a save on a UNCG penalty kick in the 76th minute, keeping the score at 0-0. He now has 103 saves on the season, the first season of his career in which he has eclipsed the century mark.
Bagrou has scored 12 goals this year, tying for sixth on Mercer's single-season goals ledger. He has also scored 29 points, good enough for eighth on Mercer's single-season points record book.
UNCG outshot Mercer, 21-6, including 14-3 in the second half. The Spartans also won the corner kick battle, 6-3.
Mercer advances to the conference championship for the third time under Head Coach Brad Ruzzo. The Bears played in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in 2009 and 2012. Ruzzo was named the SoCon Coach of the Year after leading Mercer to a regular season title in its first season in the league.
Top-seeded Mercer will face third-seeded Furman in the SoCon Tournament final on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Greensboro, N.C.
For all the latest information on Mercer men's soccer, please visit MercerBears.com or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow Mercer soccer on Twitter at @Mercer_MSoccer or www.twitter.com/Mercer_MSoccer.
