Strong Defensive Effort Helps Bears to 0-0 Draw at North Florida

Sunday, September 1

Jacksonville, Fla.

7:30 p.m.

Mercer University

1-1-2, 0-0-0

North Florida

1-1-2, 0-0-0

Mercer

North Florida

Strong Defensive Effort Helps Bears to 0-0 Draw at North Florida

9/1/2024 10:40:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

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

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Senior goalkeeper Trevor McMullen posted his third consecutive clean sheet on Sunday, helping the Bears to a 0-0 draw at North Florida.

Mercer put forth a strong defensive effort as a unit, holding the Ospreys to just five shots on goal. McMullen recorded three saves on the night.

The Bears' attack was active in the early going, applying pressure to the North Florida back line. Ehi Aimiuwu recorded the first shot on goal of the match in the 17^th minute, but North Florida goalkeeper Luciano Natoli made a nice save to keep the Bears off the board. Mercer controlled possession for much of the first 45, but went into the break with a 0-0 score.

After a first half in which he did not face a shot, McMullen made his first save of the evening in the 47^th minute, diving to his left to make the stop. In the 59^th minute, McMullen made another diving stop, this time to his right, to keep the match scoreless.

The Bears saw their best scoring chance in the 65^th minute, as senior Carlos Santamaria was fouled just outside the top of the box to earn a free kick. Santamaria took the kick, but his shot was blocked on a header by a North Florida defender

Mercer used stifling defense in the final 25 minutes to hold the Ospreys' scoring chances to a minimum. The Bears made a strong push to break the scoreless tie in the final ten minutes, with Aaron Pondeca, Santamaria, Tommy Redd and Barzee Blama all attempting shots, but the match would end in a scoreless draw.

For the game, Mercer held the edge in most statistical categories, including a 11-5 advantage in shots and a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks.

The Bears finish their season-opening road trip with a record of 1-1-2.

SCORING SUMMARY

None

TOP BEARS

+ Trevor McMullen tallied three saves en route to a third consecutive clean sheet. The shutout is the 16^th of his career
+ The Mercer back line was superb once again, limiting North Florida to three shots on goal. Senior defenders Sekou Agard and Woodi Pondeca each played the full 90 minutes. Both have played all 360 minutes on the year
+ Carlos Santamaria led the Mercer attack with five shots in the match. Freshman forward Aaron Pondeca played 34 minutes, including a quality run with the ball to generate a scoring chance in the 86^th minute

UP NEXT
Mercer will play their home opener on Thursday when they welcome Memphis to Betts Stadium. Kick off is set for 7 p.m.