Mercer University
Evansville
Men's Soccer Picked Second, Places Three on Preseason All-Conference Team
8/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University men's soccer team was picked to finish second in the Southern Conference, as the league office released the 2015 Preseason Coaches' Poll on Thursday. Additionally, Will Bagrou, Jordan Duru and Ian Antley were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
Furman collected four first-place votes and 24 total points in the preseason SoCon poll, while Mercer was close behind with 20 points and one first-place vote.
Antley returns to lead the Mercer defense after starting 18 games for the Orange and Black last season. He tallied a goal and four assists on the season and was a key piece of the Mercer defense that finished second in the league with 10 shutouts. Additionally, Antley was named to the SoCon All-Conference Second Team.
Bagrou led the SoCon in total points (29), total goals (12), game-winning goals (5) and points per game (1.38) en route to being named the 2014 Freshman of the Year. Also led Mercer with five assists last season and was second in the conference. He earned a spot on the SoCon All-Conference First Team, All-Freshman Team and All-Tournament Team.
Duru was a constant presence in the midfield for the Bears in 2014, starting all 21 games. He scored three goals on the season, including the game-winner against VMI on Sept. 27. Duru was also selected to the SoCon All-Conference First Team.
Mercer will host Evansville in an exhibition match on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 4 p.m. The Bears open the regular season on Aug. 28 at South Carolina at 7 p.m.
2015 Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Furman (4) 24
2. Mercer (1) 20
3. UNCG 16
4. ETSU (1) 13
5. Wofford 12
6. VMI 5
() denotes first-place votes
2015 Preseason All-Conference Team
F Joao Ramalho, ETSU
F Will Bagrou, Mercer
F Matthew Aurednik, Wofford
M Jordan Duru, Mercer
M Lukas Zarges, UNCG
M Connor Davis, Wofford
D Kevin Edelmann, Furman
D Ian Antley, Mercer
D Eric Gunnarsson, UNCG
D Kevin Hady, Wofford
GK Sven Lissek, Furman
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.
