Mercer University
East Tenn. St.
Bears One Step Closer to Defending Title, Down ETSU 1-0 in OT
11/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
FT. MYERS, Fla. – For the second week in a row the Mercer women's soccer team knocked off a higher seed, this time downing No. 2 East Tennessee St. 1-0 in overtime to earn a spot in the Atlantic Sun Championship final for the second consecutive year.
Mercer (10-7-2) used a goal by senior Ali Meek in the 96th minute to advance and will defend their 2010 tournament title against No. 1 FGCU on Sunday at 1 p.m. The host team, FGCU defeated North Florida 2-1, in the other semi-final on Friday night. Sunday's match will be the fourth appearance in the conference tournament final in the last five seasons.
Meek's first of the season goal came at the perfect time. The senior tracked down a loose ball after an ETSU (12-5-1) turnover and placed a well-hit shot to that went off the right post and careened in.
"I couldn't be happier for Ali," head coach Grant Serafy said. "She is such a great kid. She missed one earlier and then for her to come back and power that ball home; it was a perfect shot. So it was a great way to end the game and hopefully we can come out and play well on Sunday."
With the victory, the Bears became the first No. 6 seed to earn a spot in the final in A-Sun tournament history. Mercer has also now knocked off two of the three teams that finished in a three-way tie for the regular season title and will face the third first place team on Sunday in FGCU.
Friday's match was the Bears seventh overtime game in tournament history, and it seemed destined to be decided by penalty kicks before Meek ended the game in overtime.
"We were already thinking about penalty kicks again," Serafy said. "But that is the mark of a good team and a good senior class to step up and make plays when the game is on the line."
The Bears dictated much of the play and had numerous scoring chances, but the advantage did not equate to a goal in regulation. A breezy afternoon in Ft. Myers contributed to some of the missed opportunities, but still Mercer finished with an 16-4 overall lead in shots.
Mercer's defense supplied the Bears attack with controlled accuracy throughout the match and kept the A-Sun's top scoring team at arm's length most of the day. The Bears backline limited ETSU to just one shot on goal.
Meek along with fellow senior Olivia Tucker highlighted the Bears offense, both racking up three shots on the day. Sophomore Nikki Atkinson made one save in her sixth-straight start in goal.
The Bears get a day's rest before having to take the pitch again on Sunday at 1 p.m.
