Mercer University
Georgia State
Men's Soccer Uses Late Goal to Edge Past Georgia State
9/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Mercer University men's soccer team used a late goal from Jordan Duru and held Georgia State from answering to pick up a 3-2 win on Thursday night at the GSU Soccer Complex.
TURNING POINT
The turning point of the game didn't come until the final three minutes when Jordan Duru scored off a corner kick to give Mercer a 3-2 advantage. Duru's kick from the left-hand side went towards the goal and after some commotion in front of the goal, during which no one actually touched it, the ball managed to make its way into the goal. For the first time of the game, Georgia State was unable to answer Mercer's goal as the Bears held on for the win.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Will Bagrou led Mercer with four shots on the night, including a goal that gave Mercer a 2-1 lead in the 74th minute. Bagrou also assisted Mark Riggins on the first goal of the night. Additionally, Bagrou played all but the final 28 seconds of the game.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer controlled the corner kick count, 13-4, including a 9-3 mark in the second half.
NOTABLES
- Mark Riggins scored first for Mercer, with an assist from Will Bagrou in the 65th minute. Bagrou got inside and played a through ball to Riggins who dribbled down the line and drilled the ball into the near post.
- Bagrou tallied a goal of his own when Jourdan Gooden played a pass to Bagrou, who beat his man down the line, got into the box and put the ball across the goalkeeper low into the back post.
- In addition to leading in corner kicks, Mercer also led the shot count, 15-13.
- It was a very physical game, as five players, including Bagrou and Airrion Blackstock, received yellow cards.
- Six Bears – Ian Antley, Airrion Blackstock, Jeremy Booth, Carson Brooks, Jordan Duru and Mark Riggins played all 90 minutes of the match.
QUOTABLES
"I'm very proud of the team tonight. They showed a great deal of resiliency, especially going on the road for a state rivalry game. It's never easy to beat teams within the state, especially on the road." – Head Coach Brad Ruzzo
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer moves to 1-2 for the season, while Georgia State falls to 1-2.
UP NEXT
Mercer will continue to play on the road as the Bears will head to Orlando, Fla., to face UCF on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Stadium.
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.
