Bears Set Eyes on Former ASUN Foes in Opening Weekend

MACON, Ga. – Mercer Men's Soccer will jump start its 2018 campaign this weekend with a pair of former conference foes, beginning with North Florida on Friday (7 p.m.) and concluding with Jacksonville on Sunday (7 p.m.). Friday will be the regular season opener for both Mercer and UNF.

FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Aug. 24 | 7 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (0-0-0) at UNF (0-0-0)
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. | Hodges Stadium
Live Stats: unfospreys.com/livestats
Live Video: Facebook Live
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer

SUNDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Aug. 26 | 7 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (0-0-0) at Jacksonville (0-0-0)
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. | Southern Oak Stadium
Live Stats: judolphins.com/livestats
Live Video: ESPN+
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer

SERIES HISTORY | LAST MEETING
Mercer enters the weekend with a 6-5-1 all-time record against the Ospreys. The Bears have won three of the last five matches against UNF with the last one being a 2-1 victory in Macon, Ga., snapping a two-match skid against the Ospreys. Former standout keeper, Greg Ranjitsingh, tallied a then career-high 12 saves. The Bears are 2-2-1 against UNF when played in Jacksonville, Fla.

Mercer's second competitor of the weekend will be the Dolphins of Jacksonville, a team in which the Bears hold an 8-16-3 overall mark. In the last showdown with Jacksonville, Mercer came out victorious in a 3-1 victory in Macon, Ga., on Sept. 14, 2016. Will Bagrou buried two strikes to put the game out of reach, while Jeremy Booth notched two saves on three shots. The win snapped a four-match skid from 2010-2013 in which the Bears dropped consecutive 2-1 matches.

NOTABLES

Mercer returns 13 student-athletes from last year's squad that claimed the SoCon Championship for the second consecutive season, including SoCon Preseason All-Conference nominee, Jake Mezei.
The Bears welcome 13 newcomers to the squad, including 11 true freshmen.
Friday's match against UNF will be the first of six consecutive road contests to start the season.
Mercer finished 2-0-1 in exhibition play this fall, defeating UNC Asheville (2-0) and UAB (2-1).
The Bears are 2-3 in their last five season openers with all three losses coming on the road to Clemson (2013), South Carolina (2015) and Georgia State (2017).

OPPOSING THE OSPREYS
Much like Mercer, UNF will rely on a youth movement this season as the Ospreys have 14 underclassmen on the roster. The Ospreys competed in one exhibition this fall, drawing 1-1 with Georgia State on Aug. 14. UNF finished the 2017 season fourth in the ASUN regular season standings, falling to Jacksonville in the ASUN quarterfinals (2-1). The Ospreys were slated to finish seventh in this year's ASUN Preseason Coaches' Poll, garnering one ASUN Preseason All-Conference honoree in Tawan Seles, a senior defender from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

DOMINATING THE DOLPHINS
Jacksonville enters the 2018 campaign after a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in the ASUN Championship to Lipscomb on Nov. 11. The Dolphins finished the 2017 season with a 6-10-1 mark and were slated to finish third in the 2018 ASUN Preseason Coaches' Poll. Patrick Harding (GK, Sr.) and Kai Bennett (F, Sr.) highlight the Dolphins as both were named to the ASUN Preseason All-Conference team. Jacksonville drew even with NAIA competitor, Southeastern (Fla.), in a 3-3 exhibition match on Aug. 13. The Dolphins will open their 2018 slate with a showdown against Appalachian State tomorrow at 7 p.m.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Soccer, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_MSoccer (Twitter), MercerMSoccer (Instagram) and /MercerMSoccer (Facebook) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

Bears Set Eyes on Former ASUN Foes in Opening Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Will Bagrou

Jeremy Booth

Jake Mezei

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