Men's Soccer Faces Furman in SoCon Semifinal
11/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MACON, Ga. – The third-seeded Mercer men's soccer team will face No. 2 Furman on Friday, Nov. 13 in the Southern Conference Tournament semifinal, hosted by East Tennessee State.
THE BEAR NECESSITIES
Teams: No. 3 Mercer (11-6-2) vs. No. 2 Furman (7-5-4)
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | Summers-Taylor Stadium
Friday, Nov. 13 – 6 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer
LAST TIME OUT
Mercer opened the SoCon Tournament with a 7-0 win over VMI on Saturday, Nov. 6. Jordan Duru led the Bears with two goals and two assists for a total of six points. Drew Schall also added a pair of goals and Jake Mezei, David Murtaugh and Max Poore each netted a score of their own as Mercer logged its seventh shutout of the season.
SERIES HISTORY
The series with the Paladins is knotted at 4-4-1, including Furman's 1-0 win in double overtime in Macon and the 1-1 draw in Greenville, S.C., during the regular season this year.
SCOUTING FURMAN
Furman's last game was the 1-1 tie against Mercer in the regular season finale. Will Bagrou gave Mercer a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute before Kevin Pahl netted a goal in the 88th minute to knot the score. Neither team was able to add a second goal in the additional time.
Lewis Hawke and Eli Pinner lead Furman with eight points apiece, as each player has scored three goals and tallied two assists. Bobby Edet has also scored a team-high three goals, while Pahl leads the Paladins with three assists. A total of 14 Furman players have scored a goal, dished out an assist or both.
As a team, Furman has outscored its opponents, 20-17, this season, which included a 15-8 mark in SoCon games. Defensively, Furman is third in the conference with five shutouts, all of which came in league play. The Paladins also rank second as a team in goals against average (1.01) and fifth in save percentage (.696).
Sven Lissek has spent a majority of time in goal for the Paladins, notching 29 saves and allowing 12 goals for a .707 save percentage and 0.80 goals-against average. Lissek leads the SoCon in GAA, while ranking fourth in save percentage.
MERCER NOTES
Jordan Duru leads Mercer with seven goals, seven assists and 21 points, including three game-winning scores this season. Will Bagrou is second for the Bears with five goals, four assists and 14 points. Conner Antley, Kobe Perez and Max Poore are all tied for third for the Bears with three goals this season.
Antley and Duru have each netted three game-winning scores, which leads the SoCon and ranks 49th nationally. Duru is also second in the league in both total assists and assists per game (0.39), while ranking third in the SoCon in total points.
As a team, Mercer is second in the conference with 100 points, 34 assists and 1.79 assists per game. The Bears are also third in the league in total goals (33) and scoring offense (1.74).
In goal, Jeremy Booth has made 80 saves and allowed 21 goals for a .792 save percentage and 1.07 GAA. Booth has also anchored a Mercer defense that has notched seven shutouts, which is tied for the conference lead with UNCG.
Booth leads the league in save percentage, while ranking second in the conference and 16th in the nation in total saves. Mercer's defense also ranks first in the conference in save percentage (.792).
With Mercer's win over VMI on Saturday, the Bears improved to 2-1 all-time in SoCon Tournament play. The Bears are playing in their second SoCon Tournament semifinal match, having advanced to the final in 2014.
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.
