Bears Ready for SoCon/Big South Challenge

MACON, Ga. – Mercer Men's Soccer will take part in the SoCon/Big South Challenge for the third consecutive season, squaring off with Winthrop and Gardner-Webb yet again. The Bears will take on Winthrop tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C., before capping off the challenge with the Runnin' Bulldogs on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Boiling Springs, N.C.

FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Aug. 31 | 7 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (2-0-0) at Winthrop (1-0-0)
Location: Rock Hill, S.C. | Eagle Field
Live Stats: winthropeagles.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer

SUNDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Sept. 2 | 2 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (2-0-0) at Gardner-Webb (0-2-0)
Location: Boiling Springs, N.C. | Greene-Harbison Stadium
Live Stats: gwusports.com/livestats
Live Video: ESPN+
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer

SERIES HISTORY | LAST MEETING
Friday's match will be the 8^th meeting between Mercer and Winthrop, with the Eagles holding a 4-2-1 record over the Bears. The Bears are 0-2-1 in the last three outings with the Eagles, picking up a 1-1 draw last season at Betts Stadium in Macon, Ga. with Ramario Thompson scoring the lone goal for Mercer. Mercer's last victory over Winthrop was on Sept. 5, 2010 when the Orange & Black defeated the Eagles 3-0 in Rock Hill, S.C.

Mercer has a more favorable mark against the Runnin' Bulldogs, holding a 7-4-1 overall advantage. In the last three outings, the two squads are each 1-1-1 with the wins coming on the opponent's turf. Last season, the former conference foes drew 1-1 for the first time in the series, with Will Bagrou scoring Mercer's only strike. The Bears jumped all over the Runnin' Bulldogs to start the series, winning the first six matchups before Gardner-Webb rattled off four consecutive victories over the Bears. Mercer's 2-1 victory in 2016 put an end to the four-match skid.

NOTABLES

Mercer enters the weekend with a 2-0 mark for the second time in three seasons, aiming to go 3-0 for the first time in the Brad Ruzzo era.
The last time that Mercer was 2-0, the Bears dropped a 2-0 decision to Winthrop on Sept. 2, 2016.
The Bears are 3-2-2 against Big South opponents since joining the SoCon in 2014.
Trevor Martineau leads the team with five points (2 goals, 1 assist) and was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday.
Mercer is 1-1-2 in the SoCon/Big South Challenge since competing in the event in 2016.

WHAT'S UP WITH WINTHROP?
Winthrop enters the weekend with a 1-0 record, defeating NCAA DII opponent Georgia Southwestern by the final score of 6-0 on Aug. 25. Six different players registered a goal for Winthrop, while Jordan Walshaw tallied three assists to lead the team with five points in the season opener. Leif Estevez returns as the top points getter for the Eagles with three points in 2017. Winthrop finished 2017 with a 3-13-1 overall mark and was picked sixth in the Big South Preseason Poll.

THE BITE OF THE RUNNIN' BULLDOGS
Gardner-Webb dropped its first two matches of the season, falling to James Madison (4-0) and Virginia Tech (2-1). Mads Rismoen scored the lone goal for the Runnin' Bulldogs this season against the Hokies. Magnus Moldjord is the top returner for Gardner-Webb, finishing the 2017 campaign with 11 goals and four assists for 26 points. The Runnin' Bulldogs were slated to finish fifth in the Big South Preseason Poll.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Will Bagrou

Trevor Martineau

Ramario Thompson

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