Champions, Again! Men’s Soccer Blanks Furman In SoCon Title Bout

Sunday, November 12

Greenville, S.C.

2 p.m.

Mercer University

7-6-8, 1-3-2

Furman

10-6-3, 2-2-1

Mercer

Furman

Champions, Again! Men’s Soccer Blanks Furman In SoCon Title Bout

11/12/2023 4:53:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The fifth-seeded Mercer men's soccer team scored twice in the match's first 5-1/2 minutes, then leaned on an unbreakable defense the rest of the way, as the Bears cruised to their fifth Southern Conference Tournament title in the last seven years with a 2-0 shutout of third-seeded Furman in the championship game.

The result kept the Bears (7-5-8) unbeaten in five-straight meetings with the Paladins (10-6-3) who have not tasted victory against the Orange & Black since a 1-0 double-overtime thriller on March 23, 2021. The multiple-goal difference is the largest win for either side since Mercer's 3-0 win on Oct. 11, 2014.

By virtue of the SoCon's automatic bid into the NCAA postseason, the Bears have secured their fifth NCAA Tournament berth in program history as well. The pairings for the 2023 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament will be announced on Monday via NCAA.com.

SCORING SUMMARY
2'	Nick Wanzer collected a loose ball inside the penalty area and skipped a ball toward the end line and through the hands of Furman netminder Aaron Salinas.
6'	Aaron Salinas punched a direct kick strike out of the penalty area, but Carlos Santamaria returned the clearance into the back of the net with an aerial one-timer.

TOP BEARS
+ Carlos Santamaria logged a team-high two shots in Sunday's championship match, including one on target (goal). + Senior Trevor McMullen tallied four saves on the way to tacking up his sixth shutout of the season. + One of seven Bears to log at least one shot, senior Nick Wanzer made good on his lone attempt of the afternoon. It is his second game-winning goal of the campaign.

NOTABLES
+ Mercer's goal just 65 seconds into the contest snapped a series scoreless streak of almost 183 minutes. The last score prior to Sunday's 2^nd-minute goal came on Nov. 7, 2021. The squads battled to scoreless ties in each of the last two regular season matchups. + Sunday's result marked the fifth SoCon Tournament title for the Bears (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023). Mercer also captured the SoCon regular season championship in 2014 and 2018. + Sekou Agard was named the most valuable player of the 2023 SoCon Men's Soccer Tournament. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Sekou Agard, Barzee Blama, Travor McMullen and Nick Wanzer. Wanzer was also presented with the Pinnacle Award which is given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team for each Southern Conference sport.

UP NEXT
The Bears will make their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament when play begins on Thursday. Pairings for the 2023 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Selection Show will be announced on Monday via NCAA.com. The selection show is scheduled to air at 1 p.m.

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SUPPORT THE BEARS
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