WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Mercer men's soccer team could not answer two Wake Forest goals in a 2-1 opening-round loss in the NCAA tournament following an early lead.
 
Mercer (10-8-1, 4-1-1 SoCon) was the first to find the back of the net when Dylan Gaither flew the ball from well beyond the 18-yard box past Wake Forest's Trace Alphin for the early lead following an assist from Nick Wanzer in the 11th minute. Eight minutes later, Kyle Holcomb got the Demon Deacons (12-6-1, 4-3-1 ACC) on the scoreboard when he snuck the ball past Trevor McMullen.
 
Twenty minutes into the second stanza, Holcomb secured a brace as he helped the Demon Deacons take a lead they would not relinquish following assists from Prince Amponsah and Oscar Sears.
 
Even when down, Mercer was not out of it, as the Bears were getting shots toward Alphin until the waning minutes of the contest.
 
Gaither, Michael Ille and Trevor Martineau all registered two shots apiece for the Mercer attack – both Gaither and Ille had both of theirs go on goal. McMullen stopped five shots from the Demon Deacons' attack in the 90 minutes.
 
The loss ends the Bears' season. It was the fourth trip to the NCAA tournament as a member of the SoCon and sixth overall.