Official Release

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men’s soccer team was picked to finish fifth in the 2010 Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll, while senior Ian Cameron and sophomore Brett Petricek were named to the Preseason All-Atlantic Sun Team as announced by the conference office on Tuesday afternoon.

Mercer’s fifth-place selection is the highest ranking in the inaugural preseason poll since it was picked to finish third in 2006. It is also the first time the Bears have placed two members on the Preseason All-Atlantic Sun Team since seniors Vicente Arze and Richard Perdomo received the honor in 2007.

“While we appreciate the preseason honors given to Brett and Ian, the season still needs to be played,” head coach Brad Ruzzo said. “We know that the league will be very deep and competitive again this year, so we need to come into this season driven and focused in order to achieve our team goals.”

Stetson, who defeated Mercer in the 2009 A-Sun Conference Championship game, was picked to repeat as the 2010 A-Sun champions after receiving six of the 10 first-place votes.

Campbell was picked to finish second with two first-place votes, while FGCU and ETSU came in third and fourth place, respectively, with one first-place vote apiece. The remainder of the poll consisted of Jacksonville (6th), Lipscomb (7th), UNF (8th), Belmont (9th) and USC Upstate (10th).

Cameron and Petricek both earned spots on the Preseason All-Atlantic Sun Team, making Mercer one of just four teams with multiple players garnering honors on the squad.

Cameron, a midfielder, is a two-time A-Sun Award honoree (All-Conference first team and All-Freshman) and a 2009 National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-South Region third team selection. The Glasgow, Scotland native led Mercer is scoring last season, tallying 18 points on seven goals and four assists.

Petricek, a goalkeeper, earned a spot on the 2009 A-Sun All-Freshman team after putting together one of the best seasons between the posts in Mercer history. The Woodridge, Ill. product posted a 1.29 goals against average and four shutouts, both ranking as the fourth-best single-season totals in school history.

The Bears, who return nine starters and welcome 11 newcomers, kick off their 2010 season with an exhibition match at Georgia Southern on August 21, at 4 p.m.