The Merced Bears (Merced, CA) soccer nipped the visiting Modesto Panthers (Modesto, CA), 3-2 in Monday's non-league challenge.

The Bears now hold a 2-3 record. They play next when they host Los Banos for a challenge on Wednesday, January 8. Merced will encounter a Tigers squad coming off a 3-1 non-league win over Summerville (Tuolumne, CA). The Tigers record now stands at 8-2.

With the loss, Modesto moves to 7-3 on the year. The Panthers host Turlock (Turlock, CA) to encounter the Bulldogs in a challenge on Wednesday, January 8. The Bulldogs go into the challenge with a record of 6-1. Turlock won 3-1 in their recent non-league challenge against Atwater (Atwater, CA)