The Mercer men's club soccer team has enjoyed historic success this season and currently sits at second in conference play after a five-game winning streak. The team has ranked as high as No. 3 in their region this season.
The team competes in the Southeast Collegiate Soccer Alliance, an organization that "provides structured divisional play for men's and women's collegiate club programs," per its website. The alliance specifically covers intercollegiate play for teams from throughout the Southeast.
Mercer participates in the Coastal North Division, which fields club teams from the University of Florida, Georgia State University, Florida State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Georgia College and State University and Florida A&M University.
After losing their opening match, the team rallied to their current five-win streak, remaining at 5-1 on the season as of the writing of this article. The team consists of Mercer students from various majors, schools and years, and is open for public tryouts on an annual basis.
The Cluster interviewed the club's president and team captain Habtamu "Hab" McLain '26, a marketing major and entrepreneurship minor, and talked about the club's evolution, success and future. More information about the team can be found on its social media. The following answers were transcribed and lightly edited for length clarity.
Tell us a bit about the Club Soccer team and its leadership.
Our club is led by myself, Hab McLain, and our vice president is Caleb Luo-Gardner '26, a mechanical engineering major. The rest of our board includes Ahmad Shehu '28, who is majoring in business marketing and Charlie Minton '27, a marketing and entrepreneurship double major. Each of us brings something different to the table, and together we have worked hard to build a strong foundation for the program.
Can you share some background about the team's practices, travel and current season highlights?
We practice at the ORC next to the Macon Dog Park twice a week, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and play games mostly on Sundays. When scheduling allows, we try to add Friday or Saturday matches. We travel by carpool, and everyone chips in to make it work.
This season has been historic for Mercer men’s club soccer. We’re currently 5-1, sitting second in our conference, and ranked top 10 regionally—at one point even reaching the top three. Assuming we finish strong, we’re on track to qualify for the NIRSA Regional Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., which has never been done in Mercer’s club soccer history.
It feels surreal to lead the team to regionals in my senior year. And It’s proof of how far we have come, from only one win last season to being one of the top programs in our region this year.
What has changed this season compared to last season?
We’ve made big improvements both on and off the field. Off the field, we created our first official club bank account and wrote a constitution so future teams have structure and sustainability. Dues now go directly to the club instead of through personal accounts, which adds transparency and helps us plan fundraisers and events.
On the field, we’ve changed the culture. Practices are sharper, attendance is higher, and the competitiveness has risen. The level of play has improved so much that it’s actually hard to pick a starting lineup now. We have depth at every position, and the performance doesn’t drop even when we rotate players.
What’s been your favorite team moment this season?
It’s hard to pick just one, but our trip to Florida State University stands out. We met at the ORC next to the Macon Dog Park around 8:30 a.m. to drive three and a half hours to Tallahassee, but everyone was starving, so we stopped at IHOP. What was supposed to be a quick breakfast turned into everyone ordering half the menu – we ended up being late to the game by about 20 minutes.
Even with a rushed warm-up and FSU being one of the toughest teams we face, we came out and won 2-1, our first win over them in years. That win kicked off our current five-game win streak. The trip back was full of jokes, music, and a stop at Cane’s – easily one of the best road trips we’ve had.
The Georgia Southern Tournament is another favorite. We went undefeated, only conceded one goal all weekend and won the championship. Those moments — traveling, competing, eating together — really bring the team closer.
In one line, how would you describe the team?
A locked-in, motivated and selfless group that’s rewriting what Mercer soccer stands for.
Jacob Hossler '28 is an English and Law and Public Policy double major at Mercer University. While not serving as the Sports Editor at The Cluster, he enjoys running, writing and photography.
