Mercer University
Western Carolina
Women's Soccer Defeats Western Carolina, 1-0
10/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Mercer University women's soccer team notched a 1-0 win over Western Carolina on Sunday afternoon at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
TURNING POINT
After a scoreless first half, Katelyn Dimopoulos had a chance to put the Bears up in the 52nd minute with a penalty kick, but the ball went high. However, Dimopoulos made up for it less than six minutes later when she found the back of the net off an assist from Maddie Clark. Clark got the ball on the right side and dribbled down to the endline before serving it in to Dimopoulos to finish. Mercer held on to its 1-0 lead for the final 22 minutes to pick up its third straight win over WCU.
WOMAN OF THE MATCH
Maggie Cropp made six saves for the Bears and recorded her fourth clean sheet of the season. She faced 12 shots from the Catamounts as she anchored the Mercer defense to its second shutout in conference play.
STAT OF THE GAME
Despite an overall 12-7 shots advantage for WCU, Mercer led in second half shots, 6-5.
NOTABLES
- Katelyn Dimopoulos scored her fifth goal of the season and the eighth of her career. She has tallied three game-winning scores this season, to move her career mark to four total.
- Maddie Clark has now dished out five assists this season, which gives the junior a total of nine assists while donning the Orange and Black.
- This marked the third time this season Clark has connected with Dimopoulos for a goal, and the second time it has resulted in the game-winning score for Mercer. The pair also combined for two goals in Mercer's 6-1 win over Chattanooga.
- Maggie Cropp tallied six saves for the second straight game as she recorded her fourth complete game shutout this season.
- Mercer led in corner kicks, 6-4.
- This marked the first road win for the Bears this season, as they have played a majority of their games at home. Mercer is now 1-2-2 while on the road this year.
- Mercer now has a 3-1 advantage in the series with Western Carolina, and has won each of the last three meetings. All three of Mercer's wins have been one-goal decisions.
QUOTABLES
"We came out sluggish in the first 15 minutes and we weren't playing to our level, but we got out of the half, 0-0. I challenged the team at halftime and we came out with more intensity and energy, stuck to our game plan and we really dominated play in the second half. Physically speaking, we were very even; we dominated in corner kicks and we put one chance away, although we missed a couple of chances in front of goal. Overall, I was very happy for our first road weekend that we were able to get four points. I was very happy with our effort and I look forward to a big road weekend again next week." – Head Coach Tony Economopoulos.
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer improves to 6-5-3 (3-1-1 SoCon) on the season, while Western Carolina moves to 6-6-2 (2-3 SoCon).
UP NEXT
Mercer will hit the road again next weekend as it faces UNCG on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7:00 p.m. in Greensboro, N.C.
For all the latest information on Mercer women's soccer, please visit MercerBears.com or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow Mercer soccer on Twitter at @MercerWSoccer or www.twitter.com/MercerWSoccer.
