Bears Continue Homestand With Evansville

MACON – The men's soccer team concludes its first homestand of the season with a match against Evansville on Sunday, August 24.

MATCH INFO.
Date | Time: Sunday, August 24 | 3 P.M.
Teams: Mercer vs. Evansville
Location: Macon, Ga. | Betts Stadium
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Stats
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_MSoccer
Instagram: @mercermsoccer

Defending the Den

The Bears had to wait an extra night to open their regular season due to inclement weather on Thursday, August 21. The season opener was rescheduled for this past Friday at 10:00 a.m.

Another night of sleep did not slow down the Bears' attack. Captain Tommy Redd scored the first goal within the first 16 minutes of Mercer's season, and the Bears posted 16 shots in the first half alone.

Although Mercer's shots decreased in the second half (12), the Bears found the back of the net more efficiently. Ehi Aimiuwu, Junior Casillas and Tolu Adeyemi each recorded their first goals of the season to secure a 4-0 victory at Betts Stadium.

Mercer's defense smothered every attack that Oglethorpe attempted. The Bears did not even allow a shot on goal until the 68th minute of the match. The backline that consisted of all newcomers showed a level of cohesiveness that takes years to develop.

All In on the Purple Aces

Heading into this match, Mercer has an 0-3-1 all-time record against Evansville. This is the first time the programs are meeting since 2018 where Michael Ille's late-match heroics equalized the contest in the 84th minute and the Bears stole a 1-1 draw.

2024 was a year to remember in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. The Purple Aces made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in over 25 years after hoisting the program's second Mountain Valley Conference title in program history, concluding a 28-year drought.

The Purple Aces began their season this past Thursday at home against Bellarmine which resulted in a 1-1 draw. Evansville conceded within the first five minutes of its season; however, freshman Ben Zec drew a penalty, and senior forward Tancredi Fadd buried it into the back of the net in the 54th minute to secure the result.

Evansville entered the 2025 campaign with nearly half of last year's squad returning. Nacho Diaz-Caneja and Martin Wurschmidt are the Purple Aces' leading returning goal scorers with two apiece from the backline.

Michael Mroz, a sophomore goalkeeper, returns after logging the most minutes for Evansville in 2024. The Elk Grove, Illinois, native started all 21 matches last year, maintaining a 1.55 GAA and 86 saves in over 1900 minutes. Mroz was named the 2024 MVC Freshman of the Year and was named to the 2025 MVC Preseason All-Conference team.

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Players Mentioned

Tolu Adeyemi

Ehi Aimiuwu

Junior Casillas

Tommy Redd

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