Bears Open SoCon Tournament Play Against Furman On Friday

Friday, November 8

Greensboro, N.C.

7 p.m.

Mercer University

Furman

Bears Open SoCon Tournament Play Against Furman On Friday

11/6/2024 1:25:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Tournament Information

By: Donovan Schultz, Donovan.schultz@live.mercer.edu

MACON - The fifth-seeded Mercer men's soccer team opens up SoCon Tournament play on Friday, taking on the fourth-seeded Furman Paladins in Greensboro, N.C. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

MATCH INFO
Date | Time: Friday, November 8 | 7 p.m.
Teams: No. 5 Mercer (6-4-7 overall, 1-2-2 SoCon) vs. No. 4 Furman (7-3-4 overall, 2-1-2 SoCon)
Location: Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Soccer Stadium
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Stats
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's match is the 21^st meeting between the Bears and Paladins. The two teams last met on Saturday in the regular season finale, a hard-fought battle that ended in a 1-1 draw. Mercer and Furman's last meeting in the SoCon Tournament came in last year's final, which the Bears won 2-0 to claim an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The two sides have met five times in the SoCon Tournament, with the Bears holding a 3-1-1 record. Mercer is unbeaten in their last six meetings with Furman.

SOCON TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Since joining the SoCon in 2014, Mercer has won five tournament titles, two more than any other school during that time frame. The Bears have advanced to seven finals and accumulated a 12-3-5 record in tournament play. Of five matches decided by penalty kicks, the Bears have won four.

LAST TIME OUT
Mercer wrapped up the regular season on Saturday with a trip to Greenville, S.C. to play the same Furman squad that they will see in the SoCon quarterfinals. The two sides played to a hard fought 1-1 draw to set up a rematch in Greensboro.

Mercer drew first blood in the 22^nd minute when a Carlos Santamaria free kick found Kadeem Agard on the back line, who passed the ball in front of the goal for Sekou Agard to bury in the back of the net. The goal was Agard's fifth of the year, tying him for the team lead.

Both teams saw scoring chances in the middle stages of the match, but the defenses held strong. However, Furman was finally able to break through with a goal in the 85^th minute to level the score. The final five minutes were hectic, with each side scrambling to find the game-winner. Perhaps the best look came for the Paladins in the final minute of play, but Mercer keeper Trevor McMullen made a huge stop to secure a draw. He finished the night with four saves.

SCOUTING FURMAN
Furman enters Saturday's match with a 7-3-4 record overall and a 2-1-2 record in SoCon play. They finished in fourth place in the SoCon standings with eight points.

Christian Kraus, an all-conference selection a year ago, leads the Paladins with 13 points. He has scored five goals and added three assists. Aaron Salinas has started all 13 games in goal for Furman, posting a 1.08 goals against average and a .700 save percentage.