Men’s Soccer Set for Flash Gordon Motors Invitational

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's soccer team will continue its season-opening four-game road trip when it plays a pair of games as part of the Flash Gordon Motors Invitational this weekend.

The tournament is being hosted by High Point University and showcases a field that includes High Point, Mercer, Radford and Georgia Southern.

The Bears will play Radford in the opening game of the tournament on Friday, September 10, at 4:30 p.m. before concluding the event with a match against host school High Point on Sunday, September 12, at 3:30 p.m.

The Orange and Black put together a positive opening weekend to kick off its 2010 campaign, earning a split in back-to-back road games. The Bears dropped their season opener, 3-0, at Gardner-Webb on September 3, but rallied back with a dominant 3-0 win at Winthrop on September 5.

Scouting the Opposition

Radford enters the Flash Gordon Motors Invitational this weekend with a 1-1 record. The Highlanders won their season opener in overtime against Mount St. Mary's, 3-2, before dropping a 3-1 decision at Marshall on September 6. Senior Mike Handlin and freshman Bernardo Ulmo pace the Highlanders attack with three points apiece. Radford leads the brief all-time series between the schools 2-0, including a 1-0 win in the last meeting between the teams in 2003.  

High Point enters play this weekend with a 2-1 record. The Panthers sandwiched wins against Elon and Rider with a 3-0 loss against St. Francis (Pa.) on September 4. The Panthers have very high expectations in 2010 after being picked to finish first in the Big South Preseason poll for the first time in school history. Mercer leads the all-time series with High Point 3-1, and will pick up the series with the Panthers for the first time since the programs last met in 2002.

Game Notes

- Since 1998, Mercer has won the third-most matches in the Atlantic Sun Conference, with 98. 2009 A-Sun Champion Stetson has the most victories since 1998, with 115, while Jacksonville is not far behind, with 109. The Bears have made steady strides under third-year head coach Brad Ruzzo, going from two wins in his first year at the helm to seven wins in his second season.

- Sophomore goalkeeper Brett Petricek picked up right where he left off after putting together a memorable 2009 campaign. The Woodridge, Ill. product made five saves in his 2010 season debut to help the Bears shutout defending Big South Champion Winthrop, 3-0, on September 5. Petricek had four shutouts in 2009, tied for the fourth-most in a single-season in school history.

- Freshman Joshua Ball and Taylor Krek each registered their first collegiate points in the Bears win against Winthrop. Ball scored Mercer's first goal of the game, while Krek assisted on the Bears second tally in the contest.

- Mercer's 1-1 start is its best start to a season since the Bears went 1-1 back in 2007.