MACON, Ga. (Oct. 16, 2026) - The ETSU men's soccer team starts the home stretch of the 2026 regular season with the familiar trip to Macon to square off with the Mercer Bears. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday at Betts Stadium.
MATCHUP: ETSU (7-6-2, 2-0-1) at Mercer (0-10-3, 0-3-1)
DATE: October 17, 2026, 7 p.m.
VENUE: Betts Stadium (Macon, Georgia)
TV: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
With three games remaining, ETSU sits level with Wofford on points atop the conference. The Bucs can secure a bye into the quarterfinals with a win over Mercer and can be guaranteed at least the fourth seed if they beat the Bears and Wofford defeats Liberty earlier on Saturday. They won their non-conference finale on Saturday thanks to Micah Kwende's 63rd minute goal and Sam McGee's first career shutout, defeating Winthrop 1-0. The Bucs still boast the league's top goal scorer in Jaime Carrillo (8) and the conference assist leader in freshman Gavin Dick (5). The Buccaneers are also very aggressive, accumulating the most yellow cards in Division I this season (44).
Mercer has had a season beset by every malady imaginable, from injury to illness to the ire of referees, and the Bears already have their most losses since 2013 with four games left. The Bears rank second only to the Buccaneers nationally in yellow cards issued (42) and are one of six teams in the country with 35 or more yellow cards and three or more red cards issued so far this season. Goalkeeper Henry Hampshaw has been kept busy all season. He ranks third in the country in total saves (67), 11th in saves per game (5.15), and 65th in save percentage (0.744), leading the SoCon in all three categories.
No team has lined up opposite the Buccaneers in men's soccer more than Mercer, with 28 prior meetings and the Bears holding an 11-10-7 edge. The Bucs are 6-5 in Macon all-time and won their last meeting when Louie Salkeld pounced on a failed clearance in the 16th minute to give the Bucs all they needed in a 1-0 victory on October 19, 2024.
For more information on ETSU men's soccer, go to ETSUBucs.com.
