MACON, GA. – The No. 20 and third-seeded UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team defeated second seed Mercer, 2-0, in the semifinal round of The Southern Conference (SoCon) Tournament on Sunday at Betts Stadium in Macon, Georgia. An early goal from Téva Lossec set the tone early and a second half strike from Arnaud Tattevin sealed the game with his fourth goal of the post season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNCG got an early oppurtunity to score in the fifth minute on a corner kick. Steven Hernandez whipped the ball in to Lossec who flicked the ball into the back of the net to put the Spartans up 1-0 in a flash. After the initialgoal both teams settled into the match, with neither squad gaining momentum. The Bears' offense could not gather any momentum as the Spartan defense only allowed one shot in the first half. Daniel Longo, Sami Lachekar and Magnus Kjoller swallowed up the midfield passing lanes, disrupting the flow of the Mercer attack throughout the first half. UNCG was content to hold possession and probe the defense throughout the halfand entered the locker room up 1-0.
The Blue & Gold offense came back to life to start the second half, taking five shots in the first 10 minutes of action. In the 58th minute, a great pass from Issah Haruna found Tattevin who danced past two Mercer defenders and fired a shot off the post and into the goal. This is his fourth goal of the post season and 12th on the season. After the insurance goal, UNCG dropped back into defense to try and maintain the lead. The 73rdminute saw a dangerous cross come in from the Bears and headed a shot on net but Seth Wilson made the diving stop to keep the clean sheet alive. A renewed Mercer attack came in the 78th minute, with the Bears taking two consecutive shots but both were blocked by the tall defensive midfielder Kjoller and then cleared out of the play by Hernandez. Mercer had one final shot on goal but was saved by Wilson in the 88th minute to seal the 2-0 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
Records:
UNCG: 12-3-4, (3-2-0 SoCon)
MER: 5-9-4, (3-1-1 SoCon)
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UP NEXT
The Spartans advance to the SoCon Championship match against the No. 1 seed Furman. The match will take place on Sunday, Nov. 16 at Stone Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina. Kick off is slated for 2:00 p.m..
Click here for information on the 2025 SoCon Men's Soccer Championship.