Bears Announce Challenging 2010 Schedule

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men’s soccer team announced its 2010 fall schedule on Monday afternoon as it looks to build on its runner-up finish in the Atlantic Sun Championship last season.

The Bears feature a road heavy non-conference schedule highlighted by games against schools from the Big South, the Southern Conference (SoCon), Conference USA (C-USA) and the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

The exhibition season will pit the Bears against three teams including Georgia Southern on August 21, Oglethorpe on August 23, and Clayton State on August 28. Mercer kicks of its 2010 regular season on the road against former A-Sun member Gardner Webb on September 3.

The Bears will then travel to Rock Hill, N.C. to take on two-time defending Big South Champion Winthrop on September 5, at 1 p.m. The Eagles finished 2009 with an 11-6-4 overall record and lost 3-2 to Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

After two more non-conference road games against Big South members Radford on September 10, and High Point on September 12, Mercer will finally return to Bear Field, where it compiled just a 3-4 record in 2009, for its regular season home opener.

Mercer will play its home opener against CAA member and in-state rival Georgia State on September 19, at 4 p.m. The Orange and Black squared off against the Panthers during the 2009 regular season and battled to a 1-1 tie in Atlanta on September 11. Georgia State finished its 2009 season with a 4-10-2 overall record and an 11^th place finish in the CAA conference standings.

Following a non-conference road game against VMI on September 24, the Bears return home to take on a very tough Wofford squad on September 26, at 4 p.m. The Terriers won a school record 12 matches in 2009 and earned their first-ever SoCon Championship and NCAA Tournament berth.

Mercer begins its A-Sun Conference schedule with back-to-back road contests against USC Upstate and ETSU on September 30, and October 2, respectively. USC Upstate finished in ninth place in the A-Sun standings last season with a 5-9-2 overall record while ETSU placed fourth with a 6-9-1 overall mark.

The Orange and Black will conclude their non-conference slate with their premier match of the fall against C-USA member University of Alabama at Birmingham on October 6, at 7 p.m. in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Blazers had a stellar year as a program last season, finishing with a 12-4-2 overall record and a national ranking that peaked as high as No. 14 in the country. UAB also finished its 2009 season with an RPI of 58, the highest of any opponents Mercer will face in 2010.

After the Bears restart conference play by traveling to Buies Creek, N.C. to take on Campbell on October 9, Mercer will return home for a pair of very challenging A-Sun tilts against Stetson (October 14) and FGCU (October 16). The Bears lost 2-1 to Stetson in the 2009 A-Sun Championship game last November and will look to exact some revenge against the Hatters in 2010. FGCU placed third in last season’s A-Sun standings with an 8-7-1 overall record, but are still not eligible for postseason play due to NCAA reclassification laws.

Mercer concludes its 2010 A-Sun schedule with road games against UNF (October 21) and Jacksonville (October 23) before returning home for a pair of 7 p.m. home contests against Lipscomb (October 28) and Belmont (October 30).

The 2010 Atlantic Sun Championship will be hosted by the 2010 regular season champion on November 6 and November 11-13.