2009 Schedule
2009 Promotional Schedule
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men’s soccer team and head coach Brad Ruzzo unveiled its schedule for the 2009 season on Friday, including 18 regular season games and two preseason exhibitions. Looking to improve upon a 2-11-5 mark in 2008, the Bears face a formidable non-conference slate that includes teams from the Missouri Valley, Colonial, Conference USA, SoCon and Big South in addition to a nine-game A-Sun schedule.
After opening the season at home against Alabama A&M on Sept. 1, Mercer opens the road schedule by going to Peoria, Ill. for the Bradley Tournament, where the Bears will face Missouri Valley foes Eastern Illinois (Sept. 4) and Bradley (Sept. 6). The Bradley matchup marks the first time Ruzzo will face his former team after spending eight years as an assistant/associate head coach for the Braves, helping the team to a 101-54-23 record from 2000-2007.
"We have put together a very competitive non-conference schedule this year that will certainly challenge our young team early,” Ruzzo said. “Bradley is only two years removed from an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2007 while the remainder of our non-conference schedule is full of tough teams out of tough conferences.”
In addition to foes from the Missouri Valley – which finished the 2008 season with the eighth-highest RPI of any conference in the nation – the Bears take on in-state foe and CAA-member Georgia State in Atlanta (Sept. 11) and SoCon members Wofford (Sept. 13), Georgia Southern (Sept. 20) and Appalachian State (Sept. 25). Mercer also faces former A-Sun rival and current Big South member, Gardner-Webb (Sept. 18) and C-USA contender UCF (Oct. 13).
Including preseason bouts with Clayton State and Middle Georgia College, Bear Field serves as the site for 10 matches this season – two more than a year ago. Of those 10 matches are key clashes with 2008 A-Sun regular season champion Campbell (Oct. 17) and tournament champion Jacksonville (Oct. 29).
"This year we have many more home games than in the past by playing a total of 10 games at home, including two exhibition and five conference games,” Ruzzo said. “In the past, we have only had six or eight home games so we are very excited that we will be at home more often this season."
The sixth and final seed in last year’s A-Sun Championship chosen from a field of seven eligible teams, Mercer has less room for error in 2009. Both UNF and USC Upstate are eligible for the postseason in after the expiration of their NCAA reclassifying periods, bringing the number of teams eligible for the tournament to nine.
"As always the Atlantic Sun Conference schedule is difficult and highly competitive every game,” Ruzzo said. “We had a very productive spring season, finishing 2-0-2, so we are looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in the schedule."
The format for the postseason tournament has also changed. Rather than being held at one venue over four days, the tournament will be split up into two weekends (Nov. 6-7 and 12-14), where the No. 3 seed will face the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 seed will take on the No. 5 seed at the higher seed’s home field on the first weekend. The top-seeded team will host the final weekend, which includes the semifinals and the finals.
Mercer also released the 2009 promotional schedule, which can be viewed by following the link at the top of the story or clicking
here.