Bears Begin Southern Conference Slate on the Road this Weekend

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women's soccer squad opens Southern Conference play this weekend, by traveling to Chattanooga, Tenn., to face the Chattanooga Mocs this Friday, Sept 21, with the match slated to start at 7 p.m. (ET). The Bears will then head to Birmingham, Ala., to square off with the Samford Bulldogs at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sunday (9/23).

FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Friday, Sept. 21 | 7 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (5-3-2) at Chattanooga (4-4-1)
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn. | Finley Stadium
Live Stats: GoMocs.com/LiveStats
Twitter Updates: @MercerWSoccer

SUNDAY'S MATCHUP
Date: Sunday, Sept. 23 | 7 p.m. (ET)
Teams: Mercer (5-3-2) at Samford (3-5-0)
Location: Birmingham, Ala. | Samford Soccer Stadium
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: SamfordSports.com/LiveStats
Twitter Updates: @MercerWSoccer

SERIES HISTORY | LAST MEETING
Chattanooga owns a slight 4-3-1 advantage in the all-time series vs. Mercer. The two squads drew 0-0 last season at Bear Field (10/15/17). Samford owns a decisive 11-2-3 advantage over the Bears. In their last meeting, the Bulldogs eliminated Mercer from the quarterfinals of the 2017 Southern Conference Tournament (10/28/17).

NOTABLES

The Bears' 2-1 victory over Jacksonville State (9/9/18) marked Head Coach Tony Economopoulos' 70^th career win at Mercer. Economopoulos became the winningest coach in program history earlier this season when Mercer shutout Davidson (8/31/18) 3-0.
Mercer leads the Southern Conference and is third in the country in goals scored, netting 29 on the season. Mercer is also first in the conference in total points (74).
Mercer leads the Southern Conference in corners with 66 on the season, for an average of 6.6 per outing.
The Bears aggressive style of play has the team atop the league in total fouls, racking up 108 on the year.
Sophomore forward Abigial Zoeller is first in the in league in both total shots (44) and total points (17). Zoeller has recorded team-highs in both goals (6) and assists (5).
Fourteen different Bears have scored this season, which leads the nation in most players with at least one goal.
Jordyn Ebert has seen 787 minutes in goal and has 31 saves, a .816 save percentage and a .8 goals against average.
Payton Jamieson has also seen action in between the posts the past four matches, allowing two goals and earning seven saves in 180 minutes of play.
Mercer has shown solid depth depth this season with 11 Bears seeing action in all 10 outings.
The Bears are in the midst of a four-game road stretch.

SCOUTING THE MOCS
Chattanooga enters Friday's matchup holding a 4-4-1 overall record following non-conference play. Chattanooga began the season with a 3-1 start before going 0-3-1 over the past four matches. In their last outing, the Mocs topped North Alabama, 3-0, recording their fourth shutout of the season. The Mocs are led by Chloe Arnold who leads the conference in points (17) and goals (7). Melia Correa and Ashton Shields have split time protecting the net for Chattanooga this season with a combined four shutouts. Shields has allowed only two goals and holds a .889 save percentage. The Mocs are coached by Gavin McKinney who enters his fourth season at the helm.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Samford will open Southern Conference play at The Citadel Friday night before heading back home to Birmingham to take on the Bears. The Bulldogs finished non-conference play with a 3-5-0 overall record, with wins over Alabama State, Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State. Allie Lourie leads the team in total points (4) netting one goal and assisting on two this season. Stephanie Westaway has seen action in between the posts in all eight outings, recording 30 saves while allowing 14 goals in 690 minutes played. The Bulldogs are led by Head Coach Todd Yelton who enters his 17^th season at Samford.

UP NEXT
Following play this weekend, the Bears will return to Betts Stadium to host VMI next Friday, Sept. 28. The match is slated for 7 p.m.

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.

Bears Begin Southern Conference Slate on the Road this Weekend

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