Mercer to Face South Carolina in NCAA Tournament
11/14/2016 3:40:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MACON, Ga. – It's a rematch. Mercer will play a familiar foe in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship as it drew South Carolina for a 1 p.m. game on Thursday, Nov. 17 at Stone Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.
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Mercer defeated the Gamecocks (10-7-1) in a thrilling 3-2, double-overtime match in Columbia on Aug. 30 – the second match of the season for the Bears. South Carolina was ranked No. 24 nationally at the time of the loss and most recently received seven Top-25 votes in the latest poll from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
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The Bears (13-6-1) claimed the Southern Conference Championship and received the league's automatic bid after defeated top-seeded ETSU in penalty kicks on Saturday, Nov. 12 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The match went to a penalty shootout in which the Bears prevailed, 4-1, after 110 minutes of scoreless play in regulation and overtime. ETSU earned an at-large bid to reach the NCAA Championship as well, giving the SoCon two programs in the 48-team field.
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It will be Mercer's third trip to the NCAA Tournament and first since 2001. The Bears reached the tournament twice in three years, 1999 and 2001, under former head coach Tom Melville and went 0-2 in both appearances. Mercer was defeated 3-0 by Rhode Island in Macon in 1999 and 1-0 by Kentucky in Clemson, South Carolina, in 2001.
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South Carolina was upset by Old Dominion, 2-1, in the Conference USA quarterfinals Nov. 9 and has lost three of its last four matches. However, the lone win was an impressive 2-1 victory against Kentucky, which earned the No. 16 national seed and a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament.
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HEAD COACH BRAD RUZZO'S COMMENTS
On facing South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament:
"We had a good idea that it could be South Carolina. We've played them several times over the last couple years, both in the fall and spring. We were fortunate enough to get a good result up [in Columbia earlier this year], so I think we'll feel comfortable going there.
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"We'll have some work to do. We played South Carolina the second game of the year, so their team is probably a little different and I know we are very different from that game. We'll get back and do some preparation to be ready."
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On what the NCAA Tournament berth means to the Mercer program:
"The night before our [SoCon] final I kept telling myself that this was our fourth final in nine years and I would love nothing more for this group to get over that hump. Certainly, they did, so I'm very proud of them – the seniors in particular."
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On the emotions following Mercer's SoCon Championship win:
"It was more of a sigh of relief…finally and thank you. Just to go and be with the team and congratulate them…at the end of the day, as coaches we can prepare them all we want, but the players have to step up in big moments. Our guys did that. I was just happy and wanted to see their reaction more than anything."
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On the benefits of having already played South Carolina this season:
"I think it helps. You can come into these NCAA Tournaments knowing you can get someone completely different and that's a lot of work to prepare for. It won't take us as long to know [South Carolina's] personnel and know what they're trying to do."
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FOLLOW THE BEARSÂ
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Soccer, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_MSoccer (Twitter) and /MercerMSoccer (Facebook) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Mercer defeated the Gamecocks (10-7-1) in a thrilling 3-2, double-overtime match in Columbia on Aug. 30 – the second match of the season for the Bears. South Carolina was ranked No. 24 nationally at the time of the loss and most recently received seven Top-25 votes in the latest poll from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Â
The Bears (13-6-1) claimed the Southern Conference Championship and received the league's automatic bid after defeated top-seeded ETSU in penalty kicks on Saturday, Nov. 12 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The match went to a penalty shootout in which the Bears prevailed, 4-1, after 110 minutes of scoreless play in regulation and overtime. ETSU earned an at-large bid to reach the NCAA Championship as well, giving the SoCon two programs in the 48-team field.
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It will be Mercer's third trip to the NCAA Tournament and first since 2001. The Bears reached the tournament twice in three years, 1999 and 2001, under former head coach Tom Melville and went 0-2 in both appearances. Mercer was defeated 3-0 by Rhode Island in Macon in 1999 and 1-0 by Kentucky in Clemson, South Carolina, in 2001.
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South Carolina was upset by Old Dominion, 2-1, in the Conference USA quarterfinals Nov. 9 and has lost three of its last four matches. However, the lone win was an impressive 2-1 victory against Kentucky, which earned the No. 16 national seed and a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament.
Â
HEAD COACH BRAD RUZZO'S COMMENTS
On facing South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament:
"We had a good idea that it could be South Carolina. We've played them several times over the last couple years, both in the fall and spring. We were fortunate enough to get a good result up [in Columbia earlier this year], so I think we'll feel comfortable going there.
Â
"We'll have some work to do. We played South Carolina the second game of the year, so their team is probably a little different and I know we are very different from that game. We'll get back and do some preparation to be ready."
Â
On what the NCAA Tournament berth means to the Mercer program:
"The night before our [SoCon] final I kept telling myself that this was our fourth final in nine years and I would love nothing more for this group to get over that hump. Certainly, they did, so I'm very proud of them – the seniors in particular."
Â
On the emotions following Mercer's SoCon Championship win:
"It was more of a sigh of relief…finally and thank you. Just to go and be with the team and congratulate them…at the end of the day, as coaches we can prepare them all we want, but the players have to step up in big moments. Our guys did that. I was just happy and wanted to see their reaction more than anything."
Â
On the benefits of having already played South Carolina this season:
"I think it helps. You can come into these NCAA Tournaments knowing you can get someone completely different and that's a lot of work to prepare for. It won't take us as long to know [South Carolina's] personnel and know what they're trying to do."
Â
FOLLOW THE BEARSÂ
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Soccer, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_MSoccer (Twitter) and /MercerMSoccer (Facebook) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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