Mercer 3, VMI 0
MACON, Ga. – A brilliant performance by Mercer’s Will Bagrou saw the freshman post three goals as the Mercer men’s soccer team rolled to a 3-0 shutout victory over VMI on Saturday evening at Bear Field.
Mercer’s third straight victory pushed the team to 11-5 overall and 7-1 in Southern Conference play. The Keydets’ ninth straight loss dropped the squad to 1-13 overall and 0-7 in league play.
The Bears got off to a quick start as a defensive miscue and solid offensive pressure led to Bagrou stealing the ball in Mercer’s offensive end and depositing his first score of the evening in the sixth minute of play to give Mercer an early 1-0 lead.
Later in the half, junior midfielder David Murtaugh moved through defenders on the left side and played a ball to Bagrou, who curled a shot just inside the far post from 22 yards out to make the score 2-0.
After taking the 2-0 lead into the half, Bagrou completed the hat trick just 10 minutes into the second half. Sophomore Jordan Duru played a ball to Bagrou, who turned and slotted a low shot to the left of the keeper to push Mercer out to a 3-0 advantage. Freshman Chandler Klemm was also credited with an assist after setting up Duru on the offensive end.
Senior goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh preserved Mercer’s shutout with a number of key stops late in the second half. At the game’s conclusion, Ranjitsingh totaled five saves for his league-leading eighth shutout of the season.
Mercer continues SoCon play on Tuesday, traveling to Furman for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
VMI hosts Wofford on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Wofford 1, UNCG 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College men’s soccer team edged out the Spartans of UNCG on homecoming night, 1-0, Saturday at Snyder Field.
Senior midfielder Pierce Verchick was Wofford’s “homecoming king,” coming off the bench and providing the game-winning goal over UNCG at the 72:32 mark. The score was a product of smart passing between Verchick and classmate Carlos Dominguez-Gonzalez. Verchick played the ball in to Dominguez-Gonzalez in the left third of the box. Dominguez-Gonzalez tapped the ball with a back-heel pass to Verchick, who smashed home the goal into the top netting for his second score of the season.
With the assist, Dominguez-Gonzalez tied Alex Hutchins’ school record for the most points in a career during Wofford’s Division I era with 47. Dominguez-Gonzalez’s 47 points also place him atop the Southern Conference’s active career list and he is second on the SoCon’s active list in assists behind teammate Nestor Jaramillo.
Both sides produced plenty of offensive opportunities, but only the Terriers earned a goal in the match. Wofford (9-5-1, 5-2-1) outshot UNCG (3-11-2, 3-4-1), 24-19. UNCG had nine opportunities from the corner, while Wofford had four. The two sides combined for 25 fouls, with each side receiving one yellow card; Nick Orton for Wofford and Lukas Zarges for the Spartans.
Wofford made some adjustments in goal, starting sophomore Joe Wichmann for the second time this season. Wichmann grabbed nine saves, recording his first clean sheet of the season. Wichmann now sits at 2-0-0 on the season, while UNCG’s William Pyle’s record rests at 3-6-1.
Looking forward, Wofford plays next in Lexington, Va., where they will face off with the Keydets of VMI. The two sides met most recently on Oct. 11, where after a competitive first half, the Terriers scored six goals in the second half en-route to a 7-1 victory. The game will be played on Patchin Field at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
UNCG returns to action at ETSU on Tuesday at 7 p.m.