Mercer University
UCF
Men's Soccer Blanks UCF With Pair of First-Half Goals
9/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Mercer University men's soccer team scored two goals in the first half and carried the lead through the second half to defeat UCF, 2-0, on Sunday evening.
TURNING POINT
Conner Antley gave Mercer an early 1-0 advantage after putting the ball in the left side of the net from a corner kick from Jordan Duru. Mercer's second goal also came off a corner kick when Jourdan Gooden headed the ball just inside the far post following the corner from Kobe Perez. Mercer's 2-0 lead into halftime lasted the Bears for the final 45 minutes.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Conner Antley scored Mercer's first goal of the night less than seven minutes into the match. The goal came off of his only shot of the night and is the first game-winning goal of his career.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer only had two corner kicks on the night, both of which resulted in goals for the Bears.
NOTABLES
- Conner Antley scored his first goal of the season to give Mercer its 1-0 advantage. The goal is Antley's first game-winning goal of his career.
- Jordan Duru's assist on Antley's goal was his first of the season and the fourth of his career.
- Jourdan Gooden's goal was the first of the season for the senior and his fourth at Mercer.
- Kobe Perez logged his first point of the season with the assist on Gooden's goal.
- Jeremy Booth made seven saves on the night, his second-highest tally of the season. The shutout was also the first of the season for the netminder.
- UCF led 18-5 in shots, including a 7-2 shots on goal mark. The Knights also led in corner kicks, 7-2.
QUOTABLES
"Our team's defense tonight was tremendous. Our grittiness and willingness to buy into the Mercer identity was great. We're very proud of the team for getting another win on the road and we look forward to next week's tournament in Utah." – Head Coach Brad Ruzzo
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer improves to 2-2 for the season, while UCF falls to 1-1.
UP NEXT
Mercer heads to Orem, Utah, to face UNLV and Utah Valley State for the Holiday Inn Express Invitational. The Bears take on UNLV on Friday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. ET and Utah Valley State on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. ET.
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.
