Men's Soccer Regular Season Kicks Off

Thursday, August 26

Macon, Ga.

6:00 PM

Mercer University

Gardner-Webb

8/25/2021 2:19:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Mercer, Gardner-Webb set for 6 p.m. start

By: Will Vaught

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's soccer team will open their season by welcoming the Big South's Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs.
Betts Stadium is back to full capacity for the 2021 season, and there is no cost to attend Mercer men's and women's soccer matches.

MATCH INFO
Date & Time: Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021 | 6 p.m.
Teams: Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs at Mercer Bears
Location: Macon, Ga. | Betts Stadium
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer

SERIES HISTORY | LAST MEETING
Mercer and Gardner-Webb have met five times, with the series deadlocked at two wins and a draw for each side. In Macon, GWU holds the 1-1-0 advantage. Three years ago, Mercer won the last matchup behind four unanswered second-half goals to put away the Runnin' Bulldogs 4-2 and has taken the last two meetings.

SCOUTING THE BEARS
Last time out, Mercer couldn't dig themselves out of a 3-1 halftime deficit in their final friendly with UAB, ultimately falling 3-2. The Bears also dropped their first friendly with Campbell, by a 4-1 margin. MU finished the 2020-21 season with a 4-9-1 mark, going 2-3-1 in SoCon play. Logan Longo, Dylan Gaither and Trevor Martineau found the back of the net for the Bears in the preseason.

SCOUTING THE RUNNIN' BULLDOGS
Gardner-Webb finished the 2020-21 season with a 5-6 mark, including a 3-5 record in Big South play. They fell to two in-state foes, Elon and Davidson, both being friendlies. Elon took a 4-1 decision in a 100-minute friendly, and Davidson claimed a 2-0 result in the final tune-up. Joao Espinheira, a graduate forward, knocked in the lone GWU score in the preseason. GWU's returning high-scorer is Owen Xaldivar, a junior forward from Lawndale, California.

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.