The Georgia Southern men’s soccer team takes on Mercer on Thursday at 7 p.m. in their first home game of the season.

Stepping out onto Eagle Field for the first time this season, the Eagles are currently 1-1 with a win last weekend against Gardner-Webb and a loss to Winthrop in the Southern Conference/Big South Challenge in Boiling Springs, N.C. Their intended preseason exhibition game against USC Salkahatchie was canceled.

The Mercer Bears stand at 2-1 so far this season. Over the past weekend, the Bears were defeated 2-1 by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Prior to that loss, however, the Bears defeated the Georgia State Panthers in a 2-0 shutout game. In their preseason exhibition game against Oglethorpe University, the Bears were also victorious with a final score of 1-0.

The Bears have defeated the Eagles in every match since 2007.

Last season, the Eagles traveled to the Bears’ turf and took on MU’s men’s soccer team in Macon, Georgia. In an intense game which nearly was forced into overtime, the Bears defeated the Eagles 1-0 when they scored in the 87th minute.

One Ga. Southern player received a red card during the match and was sent off the field in the 53rd minute of the game which left the Eagles a man down for the remainder of the game.

In last season’s match, the Bears outshot the Eagles 23-8. Part of their winning strategy involved putting pressure on the Eagles offense with 13 corner kicks.

Following Thursday night’s match with MU, the Eagles will compete against Florida Atlantic and UNC Asheville in the Marriott Springhill Suites Invitational Sept. 12-14 at Eagle Field.