Men's Soccer Faces Wofford on Saturday in Spartanburg
10/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's soccer team will conclude its three-game road swing on Saturday, Oct. 17 when the Bears take on Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C.
THE BEAR NECESSITIES
Teams: Mercer (8-5, 3-2 SoCon) vs. Wofford (8-3-1, 3-2 SoCon)
Location: Spartanburg, S.C. | Snyder Field
Saturday, Oct. 17 – 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer
LAST TIME OUT
Mercer notched a 2-1 win over VMI on Tuesday in Lexington, Va. The Bears took a 2-0 lead before the Keydets registered a goal in the 84th minute. Will Bagrou led Mercer with a goal and an assist, also recording the game-winning score for the Orange and Black.
SERIES HISTORY
Wofford holds a 4-3 advantage over Mercer in the series history. However, the Bears grabbed a 2-1 overtime win over the Terriers earlier this month in Macon. Will Bagrou and Jordan Duru scored for Mercer in the Bears' win on Oct. 3.
SCOUTING WOFFORD
In the first half of the conference season, Wofford tallied a 3-2 SoCon record. The Terriers picked up wins over ETSU, VMI and Furman, while falling to Mercer and UNCG. Wofford also registered a 2-1 record at home against league opponents.
Three players have scored a team-leading four goals for the Terriers, including Connor Donohue, who scored Wofford's only goal against Mercer earlier this month. Nestor Jaramillo and Matthew Aurednik have also tallied four goals, and Jaramillo also leads the team with a total of 11 points.
Jonathan Dean has dished out a team-high four assists, followed by Jaramillo and Will Puckett with three apiece. Puckett is tied with Aurednik for second on the team with nine points, and they are followed by Donohue's eight total points.
Keepers Garrett Closs and Joe Wichmann have split time in goal this season, but it was Wichmann that the Bears faced on Oct. 3. In the game, he made two saves and allowed two goals. On the season, Wichmann has made 21 saves and allowed eight goals for a .724 save percentage and 1.21 goals-against average.
Closs has made 28 saves this season, while giving up six goals for a .824 save percentage and 1.00 GAA. Each netminder has tallied a complete-game shutout and a shared shutout while in goal for the Terriers.
MERCER NOTES
Bagrou leads Mercer and ranks third in the SoCon with four goals this season. Bagrou has also tallied three assists to total 11 points, which puts him at third in the league standings.
Conner Antley has scored three goals for the Bears, ranking him second on the team in total goals. However, all three of Antley's scores have been game-winning goals, which leads the SoCon and ranks 19th nationally.
Duru, Jourdan Gooden and Kobe Perez are all tied for third with a total of six points, coming from two goals and two assists each. Perez scored his second goal of the year in Mercer's 2-1 win over VMI on Tuesday.
In goal, Jeremy Booth has made 60 saves and allowed 15 goals for a .800 save percentage and 1.14 GAA. Booth has also anchored a Mercer defense that has notched a league-leading five shutouts, including a 1-0 victory over ETSU.
Booth leads the conference in save percentage, while ranking second in GAA, total saves and saves per game (4.62). He is also ranked eighth nationally in total saves and 27th in saves per game.
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.
