The Bucs concluded the regular season over the weekend with a 2-1 victory against SoCon opponent Mercer University. With this win, ETSU claims the second seed in the SoCon tournament. The Bucs finish the regular season with a record of 9-6-1 and 4-1-1 in the conference.
The Bucs came out in the first opening minutes of play with momentum, when junior John Lucchesi (Johnson City, Tennessee) scored, marking his first goal of the season. Lucchesi had the assist from Bruno Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil), marking his third in that category for the year.
The Mercer Bears battled for the remainder of the first half and capitalized on a goal towards the end when Ramario Thompson for the Bears hit a header goal to tie the game at 1-1.
Fifth-year senior Cameron Woodfin (Old Hickory, Tennessee) helped the Bucs regain the lead in the early part of the second half with a go-ahead score on an assist by red-shirt junior Luke Parker (Memphis, Tennessee).
With the Bucs carrying a 2-1 lead, it was important to defend the goal. The Bucs were able to come up with some big plays before the game expired with two big saves. Goalkeeper Josh Perryman (Sheffield, England) succeeded on attempted goals, while the rest of the Bucs’ defense kept Mercer from tying it up.
“I am more than ready for the championship,” said Woodfin as he competes in his last year as a Buccaneer. “I’d like to have a title before I leave here.”
The Bucs have two weeks off before they get into SoCon tournament play and can take advantage of this time off with rest and preparation for the upcoming event.
The Bucs will have the home field advantage as they host their first game in the SoCon tournament on Nov. 9.
