Mercer University
Clemson
Men's Soccer Gives Up Late Goals in Loss to No. 8 Clemson
8/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
CLEMSON, S.C. – The Mercer University men's soccer team gave up three second-half goals as the Bears lost 4-1 to the No. 8 Clemson Tigers on Sunday afternoon.
TURNING POINT
After a Clemson goal in the 25th minute, a header from Drew Schall knotted the score in the 40th minute. The Bears held on as the Tigers scored again in the 60th minute but after pair of Clemson goals that occurred over the span of 33 seconds with just over 10 minutes left to play, Mercer was unable to even the score for a second time.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Drew Schall scored Mercer's only goal of the night off a cross from Trenton Whitely. The goal came from the midfielder's only shot of the night. Less than a minute after scoring, Schall stopped Clemson from answering by blocking a shot with his body just inside the post, keeping the score at 1-1 as the teams entered halftime.
STAT OF THE GAME
Clemson outshot Mercer, 20-9, as well as leading in the shots on goal category by a margin of 12-4.
NOTABLES
- Goalkeeper Jeremy Booth made a career-high eight saves in his second complete game of the season.
- Four of Mercer's freshmen saw action in the second straight game, as Kobe Perez and Jake Mezei once again got the starting nod. Alexander Andersson and Emmet Johnson each entered the game at a later point.
- Drew Schall's goal marked the first of his career for the senior.
- Trenton Whitely's assist on Schall's goal was his first of the season and the fourth of his career.
- The loss to the eighth-ranked Tigers snaps Mercer's winning streak against ranked opponents, including a 3-0 triumph over No. 24 Furman last October.
QUOTABLES
"It was a very hard-fought match by the team tonight. When we went down 2-1, the players did everything they could to grab an equalizer; they applied a lot of pressure but invariably left us vulnerable to the counter attack, and that's when Clemson scored the last two goals." – Head Coach Brad Ruzzo
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer falls to 0-2 for the season, while Clemson moves to 2-0.
UP NEXT
Mercer will face in-state foe, Georgia State on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. at the GSU Soccer Complex in Atlanta, Ga.
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.
