JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –
Jake Waters scored twice in the second half to rally Jacksonville University men's soccer past Mercer, 3-2, on Tuesday at Southern Oak Stadium, delivering the Dolphins' second straight victory on Senior Day.
Jacksonville (6-5-3, 1-3-2 ASUN) erased a pair of one-goal deficits before Waters supplied the winner in the 79th minute. The victory marked the Dolphins' first over Mercer since 2019 and their first at home against the Bears since 2012.
Having joined the Dolphins earlier this month, Waters has quickly made his presence felt. After scoring the lone goal in Saturday's win over Bellarmine, he followed with his first collegiate brace Tuesday, bringing his season total to three goals in five appearances. All three have come in Jacksonville's last two matches, with Waters providing the winner in both.
Mercer struck first at 5:24 when Eli Bannister scored off an assist from Tolu Adeyemi. Jacksonville answered in the 34th minute, as
Nahne Paulsen finished off a feed from
Romain Spailier to pull the Dolphins level.
Bannister scored again at 43:00, sending the Bears into halftime with a 2-1 advantage despite Jacksonville holding a 6-2 edge in shots.
Waters brought the Dolphins back even at 62:51, converting off an assist from
Iver Skorve for his first goal of the afternoon.
Then, with just over 11 minutes remaining, Waters delivered again.
Emanuel Cappello and
Leonardo Davi C Santos combined for the assists on his second finish at 78:50, giving Jacksonville its first lead of the match.
The Dolphins protected that advantage the rest of the way, holding Mercer scoreless over the final 45 minutes to complete the comeback.
Jacksonville finished with a 14-5 advantage in shots and a 7-4 edge in corner kicks. Waters scored on both of his shot attempts, while Paulsen added his first goal of the season one day after being named ASUN Defensive Player of the Week.
The Dolphins travel to West Florida on Saturday, Oct. 24, for a 3 p.m. ET kickoff in Pensacola.
