Gaither, Jabang Earn Preseason Honors
8/17/2021 2:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Additionally, the Bears tied for third in the preseason poll.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Midfielder Dylan Gaither and defender Ousman Jabang were named to the Preseason All-SoCon Men's Soccer Team, while the Bears tied for third in the preseason poll.
Gaither joined Belmont's Kyle Banks, Furman's Miles Fenton and UNCG's Fernando Garcia as part of the midfield crew. Jabang was joined by two additional defenders, Tommy Kay of Furman and Emmanuel Hagan of UNCG.
Gaither led the Bears with five goals in 2020-21 and notched match-winners against Georgia Southern (Sept. 22) and Jacksonville (Feb. 21). The rising junior from Lilburn, Ga., found the back of the net less than two minutes into the match against the Eagles, helping the Bears secure a convincing 3-0 win. Against Jacksonville, he broke a scoreless tie in the 70th minute when he took a pass from Dawson Gideon and converted. Gaither was the only Bear to reach double-digit points with 12.
Jabang played in 10 matches as a sophomore. He contributed to one of Mercer's two shutouts, a 1-0 win at Jacksonville. Offensively, the McDonough, Ga., product tallied three points, scoring once and also assisting on a goal. In a 3-1 victory over SoCon foe VMI, Jabang assisted on Gideon's equalizer in the 23rd minute. Two matches later, he scored his lone goal of the season, finding the back of the net in the 33rd minute against Wofford to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. The Orange & Black would ultimately prevail, defeating the Terriers, 3-1.
In the preseason poll, UNCG (35 points, five first-place votes) was selected as the preseason favorite. Furman (32 points, two first-place votes) earned the second spot, while the Bears (22 points) tied with Belmont for third. ETSU (19 points), Wofford (11 points) and VMI (6 points) concluded the poll.
The SoCon's seven head coaches voted on the preseason all-conference team and poll on the condition that they could not vote for their own players.
The Bears will continue exhibition play with a tune-up against UAB on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. before opening the regular season in Betts Stadium on Aug. 26 at 6 p.m. against Gardner-Webb.
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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Gaither joined Belmont's Kyle Banks, Furman's Miles Fenton and UNCG's Fernando Garcia as part of the midfield crew. Jabang was joined by two additional defenders, Tommy Kay of Furman and Emmanuel Hagan of UNCG.
Gaither led the Bears with five goals in 2020-21 and notched match-winners against Georgia Southern (Sept. 22) and Jacksonville (Feb. 21). The rising junior from Lilburn, Ga., found the back of the net less than two minutes into the match against the Eagles, helping the Bears secure a convincing 3-0 win. Against Jacksonville, he broke a scoreless tie in the 70th minute when he took a pass from Dawson Gideon and converted. Gaither was the only Bear to reach double-digit points with 12.
Jabang played in 10 matches as a sophomore. He contributed to one of Mercer's two shutouts, a 1-0 win at Jacksonville. Offensively, the McDonough, Ga., product tallied three points, scoring once and also assisting on a goal. In a 3-1 victory over SoCon foe VMI, Jabang assisted on Gideon's equalizer in the 23rd minute. Two matches later, he scored his lone goal of the season, finding the back of the net in the 33rd minute against Wofford to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. The Orange & Black would ultimately prevail, defeating the Terriers, 3-1.
In the preseason poll, UNCG (35 points, five first-place votes) was selected as the preseason favorite. Furman (32 points, two first-place votes) earned the second spot, while the Bears (22 points) tied with Belmont for third. ETSU (19 points), Wofford (11 points) and VMI (6 points) concluded the poll.
The SoCon's seven head coaches voted on the preseason all-conference team and poll on the condition that they could not vote for their own players.
The Bears will continue exhibition play with a tune-up against UAB on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. before opening the regular season in Betts Stadium on Aug. 26 at 6 p.m. against Gardner-Webb.
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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