Bears Conclude Six-Match Road Swing in Illinois

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Men's Soccer squad will conclude its six-match road swing this weekend in Peoria, Ill., taking part in the Bradley Invitational. The Bears are 4-0 this season, having yet to play in the friendly confines of Betts Stadium. Mercer will kick off the weekend with a 3 p.m. showdown against Missouri State tomorrow, followed by a noon start against Eastern Illinois on Sunday.

FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Sept. 7 | 3 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (4-0-0) vs. Missouri State (2-0-1)
Location: Peoria, Ill. | Shea Stadium
Live Stats: bradleybraves.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer

SUNDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Sept. 9 | 12 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (4-0-0) vs. Eastern Illinois (1-1-1)
Location: Peoria, Ill. | Shea Stadium
Live Stats: bradleybraves.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer

SERIES HISTORY | LAST MEETING
Friday's showdown with Missouri State will be the first meeting between the two programs.

Mercer and Eastern Illinois have squared off once before, ending in a scoreless draw on Sept. 4, 2009. The previous showdown with the Panthers was also played at the Bradley Invitational in Peoria, Ill.

NOTABLES

Mercer continues its hot start, now posting a 4-0 record for the first time under current head coach Brad Ruzzo.
The Bears are the only undefeated team remaining in the Southern Conference.
Mercer is currently tied for third in the NCAA in total points (37), total assists (13) and also ranks fourth in goals scored (12).
Ramario Thompson leads the squad in goals scored with three, followed by Trevor Martineau with two. Nine different players for the Bears have registered a goal this season.
Thompson is tied atop the team leaderboard in points this season with Roberto Arteaga who has registered one goal and handed out four assists.

WHO IS THE BETTER BEAR?
The Mercer Bears and Missouri State Bears will meet on the pitch tomorrow for the first time in program history. Missouri State enters the tilt with a 2-0-1 overall mark, defeating UMKC (3-1) and Omaha (2-0). The Bears' lone tie came on Aug. 27 against Cal State Fullerton in a 1-1 draw. Missouri State returns eight starters from last year's squad that claimed the Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season crown. Among those returners are Conor Ingram and Ben Stroud, both of which were named to the preseason all-conference squad. Ingram has three points this season off one goal and one assist, while Stroud has guided the Bears' defense in only allowing two goals through three matches.

PANTHERS ON THE PROWL
Eastern Illinois enters the season with a 1-1-1 overall mark, most recently dropping a 1-0 decision to Green Bay on Sunday. The Panthers will take on Bradley tomorrow at 8 p.m. (ET). Eastern Illinois claimed the season opener against Cincinnati (2-0), before drawing with Evansville (1-1) and eventually slipping against the Phoenix. The Panthers were slated to finish fourth in the Summit League, while Edgar Mesa and Kris Luke were slated on the Summit League Preseason Players to Watch List. Christian Sosnowski leads the Panthers in points with four, scoring two of Eastern Illinois' three goals on the campaign.

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 Conclude Six-Match Road Swing in Illinois

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Players Mentioned

Roberto Arteaga

Trevor Martineau

Ramario Thompson

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