Mercer Set For Semifinal Match With ETSU

MACON, Ga. – The Bears are looking to continue their winning streak as the third-seeded Mercer women's soccer team takes on No. 2 ETSU in the Southern Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday night.

THE BEAR NECESSITIES
Teams: No. 3 Mercer (10-8-1) vs. No. 2 ETSU (12-5-2)
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | Summers-Taylor Stadium
Friday, Nov. 4 – 7:30 p.m. | Live stats | Video
Twitter Updates: @MercerWSoccer

LAST TIME OUT
Mercer exacted revenge on Chattanooga and cruised past the Mocs, 3-0, in the SoCon Quarterfinals last week. Since losing to Chattanooga on Oct. 2, Mercer has won seven straight games to advance to the semifinal match.

After a scoreless first half, Mercer scored three goals in less than 10 minutes, starting with Valeria Bermeo in the 56^th minute. Bermeo received a short pass from Jamilah Tejan and sent the ball to the back of the net to put the Bears on the board. Maddie Clark netted her 13^th goal of the season in the 63^rd minute, increasing Mercer's advantage to 2-0. A Mocs' own goal in the 65^th minute put the match out of reach for Chattanooga as Mercer held on in the final 25 minutes to shutout the Mocs.

SERIES HISTORY
Mercer owns a 10-2-2 record in the all-time series with ETSU. In September, Mercer grabbed a 3-2 win over ETSU when Maddie Clark netted a hat trick to lead the Bears. Last season, the Bears and Bucs played to a 1-1 draw during the regular season and Mercer pulled out a 3-2 win in the first round of the SoCon Tournament.

SCOUTING ETSU
The Bucs finished the regular season with an 11-5-2 record, including a 6-2-1 mark in conference play to earn the second seed in the conference tournament. ETSU edged Western Carolina, 2-1, in the quarterfinals last week to advance to the semifinal match.

Eleonora Goldoni leads the Bucs with 15 goals and 33 points, ranking her second in the SoCon in both goals and points. She also ranks 10^th nationally in total goals and 20^th in points. Molly Collinson is second for ETSU with six goals, followed closely by Simona Koren with five goals.

Irina Brutsch and Isabel Hodgson have each dished out a team-leading eight assists this season, tying for first in the league. Emily McKerlie ranks fourth in the conference and third for ETSU with six assists.

Lea Ann Cutshall has been the goalkeeper for the Bucs as of late, playing nearly every minute since taking over the starting spot on Oct. 14. Cutshall has tallied a 5-1-1 record this season and recorded three shutouts. She has made 24 saves and allowed seven goals for a .774 save percentage and a 0.97 goals-against average.

MERCER NOTES
Mercer has advanced to the SoCon Tournament championship match in each of the last two seasons. The Bears were also the No. 3 seed in 2014, when they won the tournament and advanced to the NCAA for just the second time in program history. Under head coach Tony Economopoulos, Mercer has played in the conference tournament semifinal match every season and only failed to advance to the championship match once. Both of Mercer's losses in the finals have been double-overtime affairs.

Maddie Clark continues to lead the Bears with 13 goals and 28 points this season. The redshirt senior is third in the league in both total goals and total points, while sitting at 17^th and 34^th nationally, respectively. She has also notched five game-winning goals, ranking her second in the SoCon and 16^th nationally.

Logan Culver is second on the team with four goals and eight points, while Valeria Bermeo ranks third with three goals and six points. Jamilah Tejan has tallied a team-leading four assists this season, including a pair in the Bears' win over Chattanooga last week.

Cristina Mursuli has spent over 1400 minutes in goal this season for the Bears. She has made 67 saves and allowed 20 goals for a .770 save percentage and 1.23 GAA. The senior netminder also tallied five complete game shutouts this season and helped the Mercer defense to notch nine shutouts and ranking third in the conference.

In the six of its last seven matches, Mercer scored all of its goals after halftime and the Bears outscored opponents 14-0 in the second half or overtime periods in those matches. Mercer found the back of the net in the first half for the first time since Oct. 2 when Katelyn Dimopoulos scored against The Citadel in the regular season finale.

How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Soccer, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWSoccer (Twitter), /MercerWSoccer (Facebook) and @MercerWSoccer (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

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Players Mentioned

Valeria Bermeo

Maddie Clark

Logan Culver

Katelyn Dimopoulos

Cristina Mursuli

Jamilah Tejan

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