Who: vs. Mercer
When: Sunday, November 12
Where: Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Soccer Stadium
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
Live Stats | ESPN+
 
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 7 UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team, who earned the top seed in the 2022 Southern Conference (SoCon) Men's Soccer Tournament hosts the third-seeded Mercer Bears on Saturday for the Championship.
 
The Spartans earned its ninth regular season title after defeating Wofford, 2-1, on Saturday, October 29 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This was their second-straight title and third title in four years.
 
The Spartans finished the SoCon regular season undefeated with a 4-0-1 record. This was the first time since 2004 when UNCG went 6-0-1 that the Spartans went undefeated.
 
They are also 8-0-1 at home this season, which is the first undefeated season at UNCG Soccer Stadium since 2002, when the team went 8-0.
 
Mercer is entering the championship match as the third seed, after defeating the second-seeded ETSU, 1-0, in the semifinal match. The Bears are 8-4-6 overall and 2-1-2 in SoCon play.
 
The Spartans will be facing off against the defending SoCon Tournament Champions. UNCG will be seeking its first SoCon tournament title since the 2020-21 spring season and fifth overall. The Bears are looking for their fifth title since 2016 and second-straight after topping former SoCon member Belmont, 4-3, in last year's title match in Macon, Georgia.
 
This will be the 13^th time that the SoCon Championship has been hosted at the UNCG Soccer Stadium and the third time in the last four seasons.
 
SOCON ALL-CONFERENCE

• Twelve total Spartans earned 15 SoCon All-Conference awards this year.
• Head Coach Chris Rich earned his second SoCon Coach of the Year award.
• He is the seventh coach in SoCon history to earn the honor back-to-back years.
• The 15 All-Conference honors, included J.C. Ngando being named SoCon Player of the Year.
• He is the eighth from UNCG to be named SoCon Player of the Year, as Theo Collomb earned the recognition last year.
• Niclas Wild is the second student-athlete to be named SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year back-to-back years, along with ETSU's Jonny Sutherland in 2016 and 2017.
• Ngando, Wild, Ismail El Harchi, Emmanuel Hagan, and Marco Milanese earned first team recognition.
• Steven Hernandez, Marco Afonso, Basile Marc, and Ethan Conley were selected for the second team.
• Hernandez, Sami Lachekar, Maddox Mallery, and Colton Sessoms earned All-Freshman Team honors.

RPI RANKINGS

• UNCG is No. 12 in RPI.
• This is the highest ranking since the 2004 season when the Spartans spent a three-week stretch as number one in the country.
• UNCG remains unbeaten against four teams in the top-40 RPI:, Clemson (No. 7), SMU (No. 9), Louisville (No. 22), and Elon (No. 24).
• UNCG is the top SoCon team in the rankings, with Mercer rising No. 102.
• UNCG is the second school from North Carolina in the rankings as Duke is No. 6.

CLIMBING HIGH

• The Spartans climbed to No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches national poll for its first top-10 ranking this season and they moved up to No. 3 in the South Region.
• The squad also received a No. 9 ranking from TopDrawerSoccer and No. 8 College Soccer News.

MIDSEASON HONORS
Ngando & Milanese were named to the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100 list.
 
Hernandez (No. 25), Lachekar (No. 71), and Sessoms (No. 88) were named to the TopDrawerSoccer freshman college soccer player rankings.
 
AMONG THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

• 3rd in won-lost-tied percentage (0.824)
• 6^th in goal differential (28)
• 8^th in shot accuracy (0.498)
• 9^th in scoring offense (2.47)
• 10^th in corner kicks per game (6.82)
• 10^th in total goals (42)
• 13^th in points per game (7.24)
• 13^th in total points (123)
• 16^th in assists per game (2.29)
• 16^th in total assists (39)
• 17^th in shots on goal per game (6.82)
• 18^th in team goals against average (0.824)
• 46^th in shots per game (13.71)
• 60^th in shutout percentage (0.353)

SPARTANS AMONG THE NATION

• Niclas Wild – 36th in goals against average (0.875), 70th in goalie minutes played (1440:00),
• J.C. Ngando – 2nd in total assists (13), 3rd in assists per game (0.76), 46th in total points (21), 49th in points per game (1.24)
• Ismail El Harchi – 4th in shot accuracy (0.636), 27th in game-winning goals (3), 44th in total goals (8), 44th in goals per game (0.50), 57th in shots on goal per game (1.31), 60th in points per game (1.19), 68th in total points (19)

WEEKLY/MONTHLY AWARDS

• UNCG swept three-straight SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honors early in the season and totaled six on the offensive side
  • Hernandez (Sept. 6)
  • Afonso (Sept. 13)
  • Ngando (Sept. 20)
  • El Harchi (Oct. 4 & Oct. 11)
  • Ngando (Oct. 25)
• The Spartans saw Wild be named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 20 and Oct. 25, Conley earned the honor on Oct. 18, and Milanese was selected for the final installment on Nov. 1.
• El Harchi also earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Month, while Milanese was selected as Defensive Player of the Month during October.
• Afonso earned College Soccer News National Team of the Week honors twice, while Hernandez and Wild were each named to either TopDrawerSoccer or College Soccer News National Team of the Week this season.

LAST TIME OUT

• UNCG advanced to the SoCon Championship behind a 6-3 victory over Furman in the Semifinals at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
• Afonso scored his first-collegiate hat trick to bring his season total to seven goals and seven assists.
• This was the Spartans' second hat trick of the season.
• Ngando had two assists during the game.
• Basile Marc scored his first goal of the season.
• Emmanuel Hagan chipped in his second goal of the season.
• Maycol Reyes scored his fifth goal of the season along with his second helper of the season.
• UNCG outshot the Paladins 23-9.

SOCON PRESEASON POLL & AWARDS
UNCG was voted to take the title in the Southern Conference (SoCon) Preseason Coaches Poll after winning the 2021 Regular Season Title.
Release
 
Ngando, Hagan, Milanese, and Wild all earned Preseason All-Conference recognition.
 
SCOUTING MERCER

• Mercer has outscored opponents 28-23 this season, outshooting them 213-187.
• Michael Ille leads the team with seven goals.
• Dylan Gaither paces the team with 22 points (6 goals, 10 assists).
• Kadeem Agard is the third Bear with double-digit points, tallying 13 (4 goals, 5 assists).
• Trevor McMullen has started and played in 14 games in net for the Bears allowing 17 goals for 1.21 goals against average.
• Six Bears earned SoCon postseason honors.

ALL-TIME HISTORY

• UNCG leads the all-time series 12-6-2.
• The Spartans edged the Bears 1-0 on October 22, 2022 in Macon, Georgia during the regular season.