Men's Soccer Falls 1-0 to FIU in First Round of the NCAA Tournament

Thursday, November 16

Miami, FL

7:00 PM

Mercer University

7-7-8, 1-3-2

Florida International

10-4-4, 5-1-2

Mercer

FIU

Men's Soccer Falls 1-0 to FIU in First Round of the NCAA Tournament

11/16/2023 10:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

MIAMI, FLORIDA – The Mercer men's soccer team would fall 1-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to Florida International on Thursday, November 16 at FIU Soccer Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The Bears ended their 2023 season with a record of 7-6-8 following a tightly contested match against Florida International University. The Panthers would start the game off attacking the Bears defense hard, however the defense was able to hold the Panthers attack until the 20th minute, when a Panthers forward would find the back of the net. The Bears would try to comeback a few minutes later following the Panthers goal, off a free kick from Omar Hernandez which forced the FIU goalkeeper to make a save. The Bears continued to press the back line until the halftime whistle.

The Bears would start the second half attacking the midfield of the Panthers. This lead to many chances within the Panthers box, which were either saved by the goalkeeper or blocked by a Panther defender. The Bears would earn several dangerous set pieces which saw multiple attempts sent wide of the goal. The Bears countless pressure allowed for them to force mistakes by FIU, however the Panthers defense was able to keep hold the score to 1-0 until the final whistle.

SCORING SUMMARY
20'	Goal FIU
TOP BEARS
+ Carlos Santamaria logged a team-high two shots in the First Round of the NCAA tournament, both being on target (goal). + Senior Trevor McMullen tallied five saves on the way to tacking up his sixth shutout of the season. + Eight Bears had one or more shots with four being on target.

NOTABLES
+ William Pondeca, Sekou Agard, Nick Wanzer and Trevor McMullen all played 90 minutes on Thursday evening. + Fernando Arteaga would play a vital role in the second half, causing many turnovers and providing consistent pressure to the FIU back line.
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