New Faces Shine In Bears’ Season Opener

Friday, August 22

Macon, Ga.

10 a.m.

Mercer University

1-0-0, 0-0-0

Oglethorpe

0-1-0, 0-0-0

Oglethorpe

Mercer

8/22/2025 12:29:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: Rylee Bamberger, rylee.m.bamberger@live.mercer.edu

MACON – Riding off tremendous performances by many of the Bears' newcomers, the Mercer men's soccer team dominated in Friday morning's 4-0 season opener against Oglethorpe at Betts Stadium.

Junior Casillas filled the stat sheet, recording three goal contributions in his Mercer debut. The graduate senior transfer from Omaha assisted Mercer's first goal of the season before bagging a goal of his own in the second half.

Mercer dominated from start to finish. Senior Tommy Redd opened the scoring just two days removed from receiving the captain's armband in the 16th minute of the regular season.

Despite a relentless Bear attack, the score would remain 1-0 at halftime. Ehi Aimiuwu doubled the Mercer lead in the 62nd minute after Liam Corr tunneled a ball through several Stormy Petrels to find the senior in front of the net.

Less than six minutes later, Casillas headed home his first goal in a Mercer uniform after Manza Masamuna found him open at the back post.

With less than a minute left on the clock, freshman Tolu Adeyemi stripped the ball from the foot of Oglethorpe's keeper and rifled it into the back of the empty net.

The Bears' backline stifled Oglethorpe throughout the entire match. The Stormy Petrels only attempted five shots. Oglethorpe's only shot on goal came in the 68th minute and Henry Hampshaw handled it with ease.

Notables

Mercer finished with 28 total shots, the most in a single game since March 20, 2021, where the Bears poured on 30 shots against VMI.
The starting eleven for Mercer was made up of eight newcomers, and four of the five substitutes in today's match also made their Mercer debuts.
Every goal scored today involved one of the Bears' new additions. Casillas finished with three points (one goal, two assists), Corr recorded his first assist at Mercer, Masamuna earned his first assist of his collegiate career and Adeyemi netted the first goal at the collegiate level.
Will Taylor received the only booking in today's match, picking up a yellow card in the 68th minute.