MACON, Ga. – The Wofford College men's soccer team took the game to overtime before dropping a hard-fought, 3-2 loss to Mercer at Bear Field on Tuesday night.
Mercer forward Will Bagrou scored in the dying minutes of the first overtime period, sealing the victory. A free kick was played into Bagrou, who beat sophomore keeper Garrett Closs from just a few yards out into the left side of the goal.
Wofford (8-5-1, 4-2-1 SoCon) no longer controls its own destiny in pursuit of another Southern Conference regular season title. Mercer (10-5-0, 6-1-0 SoCon) continues to lead the conference, while other members East Tennessee State, Furman, and UNCG all hold 3-3-1 records in conference play. Virginia Military Institute still searches for their first conference win.
Mercer edged out the Terriers in both shots (15-14) and opportunities from the corner (6-3) in Tuesday night's action.
The first half of play started with a scare for the Terriers, with a foul from junior defender Kevin Hady resulting in an early yellow card, just 10 minutes in. A shot from Mercer's Max Poore showed promise, but Closs would deflect the shot for one of his three saves of the night.
Fouls played a key role again 18 minutes later. This time the Terriers would benefit, when senior outside back Ryan Hurst was taken down in the 18-yard box by a Mercer defender. The team earned a penalty opportunity and senior midfielder Carlos Dominguez-Gonzalez converted. Dominguez-Gonzalez sent the Terriers into the half with a 1-0 lead on his fifth goal of the season.
The Terriers opened the second half attacking, with junior forward Connor Copeland nearly scoring on a header serviced from Nestor Jaramillo in the 53rd minute, but the ball sailed just high.
The Bears equalized at the 68:26 mark. A short pass into the box found Bagrou's foot, allowing Mercer's scoring leader to tap in the goal to level the game, 1-1.
Three minutes later the Terriers battled back again. The break began with senior forward Nick Orton blasting the ball on frame from the top of the box, forcing a deflection from Mercer's Greg Ranjitsingh. Dominguez-Gonzalez ran to the loose ball, sending it in the right side of the goal for a 2-1 Terrier edge.
A minute later the Bears struck back again. Mercer's Jordan Duru struck the ball from 20 yards out, near the top left corner of the box and rocketed the ball past the far post to knot up the game, 2-2.
The Terriers' closest chance happened in the 88th minute. The ball was launched into the box, and junior midfielder Connor Davis headed the ball clear into the back of the net. It looked as if Wofford had scored the game-winner, until the side official called the goal back, saying that the ball had made contact with Davis' forearm before the headed goal. Bagrou's game-winner came nine minutes later.
The Terriers return home for their next match on Saturday. Wofford takes on UNCG, who gave the men's team their first conference lost in double overtime, 2-1, when the teams met last on October 4th in Greensboro. The match begins 7 p.m. at Snyder Field.
