.svg){kind=small}
Mercer Edges UNCG to Advance to SoCon Title Match
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Southern Conference Freshman of the Year Will Bagrou knocked a loose ball into an open net in the 103rd minute and SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year Greg Ranjitsingh had a career-high 13 saves to lead No. 1 seed Mercer past No. 4 seed UNCG in the semifinals of the SoCon Men’s Soccer Championship at the UNCG Soccer Stadium on Thursday, 1-0. The Bears advance to face No. 3 seed Furman in Saturday’s title match.
With the game still scoreless in the second overtime period and the potential for penalty kicks looming, Mercer took advantage of a Spartan miscue to punch in the game-winner and advance. Freshman Chandler Klemm played a ball into the box from the left wing that squirted between UNCG keeper William Pyle’s legs, and Bagrou ran onto the ball and tapped it into the open net for the game-winner at the 102:59 mark and his SoCon-best 12th goal of the year.
Bagrou’s score made a winner of Ranjitsingh, who made one remarkable save after another to keep the top-seeded Bears (14-6-0) in the match, none bigger than his stop of Tommi Gardarsson’s penalty kick late in the second half.
Ranjitsingh also made a great stop just moments into the first overtime period, snaring Jacques Francois’ close-range shot to keep the game scoreless.
UNCG (6-12-2) outshot Mercer 21-6 on the evening, keeping Ranjitsingh busy from the get-go. The senior from Pickering, Ontario, set the tone early, making a sprawling save on a Moises Gonzalez effort from the right side less than a minute and a half into the match.
Ranjitsingh made two more first-half saves but was all over the place in the second frame, making nine more stops to match the career high he set in the Bears’ regular-season finale against North Florida on Nov. 3. His save of Francois’ effort in the first overtime set his new career mark.
His biggest save of the night was undoubtedly his stonewall of Gardarsson’s penalty kick in the 76th minute. After Ranjitsingh took out Gardarsson in the box to set up the spot kick, Gardarsson put his attempt low and to the left, but Ranjitsingh read it correctly and made the stop. Gardarsson pounced on the rebound and put a second shot just wide of the left post as the game remained scoreless.
One of Mercer’s best scoring chances came with just over six minutes remaining in regulation, as Bagrou dribbled through three UNCG defenders and found David Murtaugh on the right side of the box. Murtaugh played a ball into the path of the onrushing Jourdan Gooden, who got tangled up with Pyle and the ball skipped just wide of the left post.
The Spartans had a pair of solid scoring chances at the end of regulation, but both went begging. With 1:09 left, Austin Miller rifled a shot from right at the top corner of the box that went just inches wide of left post. Miller was again the catalyst in the last seconds of regulation, as his left-footed shot from just outside the 6-yard box was knocked away by Ranjitsingh with five seconds left on the clock.
Ranjitsingh’s shutout was his 10th of the season, tying him for the SoCon lead with Furman’s Sven Lissek. The 10 shutouts are also tied for third in single-season SoCon history.
The Spartans’ Pyle finished with four saves.
UNCG was playing in its second straight double-overtime contest in the tournament, as the Spartans outlasted ETSU 1-0 in the first round on Nov. 8.
With the win, the regular-season champion Bears, who are in their first season in the league, will try to win their first-ever SoCon tournament title. Their opponent, No. 3 seed Furman, is vying for its 12th.
Saturday’s title match will begin at 7 p.m. and will air live on ESPN3. Pete Yanity and Charlie Slagle will have the call.
2014 SoCon Men’s Soccer Championship
Nov. 8 (Saturday)
First round (at higher seeds) (SoCon Digital Network)
Match 1: No. 4 UNCG 2, No. 5 ETSU 1 (2OT)
Match 2: No. 3 Furman 1, No. 6 VMI 0
Nov. 13 (Thursday)
Semifinals (Greensboro, N.C.) (SoCon Digital Network)
Match 3: No. 3 Furman 1, No. 2 Wofford 0
Match 4: No. 1 Mercer 1, No. 4 UNCG 0 (2OT)
Nov. 15 (Saturday)
Final (Greensboro, N.C.) (ESPN3)
Match 5: No. 3 Furman vs. No. 1 Mercer, 7 p.m.
All times Eastern.
With the game still scoreless in the second overtime period and the potential for penalty kicks looming, Mercer took advantage of a Spartan miscue to punch in the game-winner and advance. Freshman Chandler Klemm played a ball into the box from the left wing that squirted between UNCG keeper William Pyle’s legs, and Bagrou ran onto the ball and tapped it into the open net for the game-winner at the 102:59 mark and his SoCon-best 12th goal of the year.
Bagrou’s score made a winner of Ranjitsingh, who made one remarkable save after another to keep the top-seeded Bears (14-6-0) in the match, none bigger than his stop of Tommi Gardarsson’s penalty kick late in the second half.
Ranjitsingh also made a great stop just moments into the first overtime period, snaring Jacques Francois’ close-range shot to keep the game scoreless.
UNCG (6-12-2) outshot Mercer 21-6 on the evening, keeping Ranjitsingh busy from the get-go. The senior from Pickering, Ontario, set the tone early, making a sprawling save on a Moises Gonzalez effort from the right side less than a minute and a half into the match.
Ranjitsingh made two more first-half saves but was all over the place in the second frame, making nine more stops to match the career high he set in the Bears’ regular-season finale against North Florida on Nov. 3. His save of Francois’ effort in the first overtime set his new career mark.
His biggest save of the night was undoubtedly his stonewall of Gardarsson’s penalty kick in the 76th minute. After Ranjitsingh took out Gardarsson in the box to set up the spot kick, Gardarsson put his attempt low and to the left, but Ranjitsingh read it correctly and made the stop. Gardarsson pounced on the rebound and put a second shot just wide of the left post as the game remained scoreless.
One of Mercer’s best scoring chances came with just over six minutes remaining in regulation, as Bagrou dribbled through three UNCG defenders and found David Murtaugh on the right side of the box. Murtaugh played a ball into the path of the onrushing Jourdan Gooden, who got tangled up with Pyle and the ball skipped just wide of the left post.
The Spartans had a pair of solid scoring chances at the end of regulation, but both went begging. With 1:09 left, Austin Miller rifled a shot from right at the top corner of the box that went just inches wide of left post. Miller was again the catalyst in the last seconds of regulation, as his left-footed shot from just outside the 6-yard box was knocked away by Ranjitsingh with five seconds left on the clock.
Ranjitsingh’s shutout was his 10th of the season, tying him for the SoCon lead with Furman’s Sven Lissek. The 10 shutouts are also tied for third in single-season SoCon history.
The Spartans’ Pyle finished with four saves.
UNCG was playing in its second straight double-overtime contest in the tournament, as the Spartans outlasted ETSU 1-0 in the first round on Nov. 8.
With the win, the regular-season champion Bears, who are in their first season in the league, will try to win their first-ever SoCon tournament title. Their opponent, No. 3 seed Furman, is vying for its 12th.
Saturday’s title match will begin at 7 p.m. and will air live on ESPN3. Pete Yanity and Charlie Slagle will have the call.
2014 SoCon Men’s Soccer Championship
Nov. 8 (Saturday)
First round (at higher seeds) (SoCon Digital Network)
Match 1: No. 4 UNCG 2, No. 5 ETSU 1 (2OT)
Match 2: No. 3 Furman 1, No. 6 VMI 0
Nov. 13 (Thursday)
Semifinals (Greensboro, N.C.) (SoCon Digital Network)
Match 3: No. 3 Furman 1, No. 2 Wofford 0
Match 4: No. 1 Mercer 1, No. 4 UNCG 0 (2OT)
Nov. 15 (Saturday)
Final (Greensboro, N.C.) (ESPN3)
Match 5: No. 3 Furman vs. No. 1 Mercer, 7 p.m.
All times Eastern.
-www.SoConSports.com-