Thursday, September 24
Statesboro, GA
7:00 PM
Mercer University
at
Georgia Southern
Photo by: Alex Keller
Mercer to Continue Road Swing at Georgia Southern
9/23/2020 9:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
The Bears and Eagles will battle for the first time since 2014.
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Bears will continue their road trip with the second of three matches away from home when they travel to battle Georgia Southern on Thursday night. Tomorrow's contest is the first match between the two programs since 2014.
MATCH INFO
Date:Â Thurs, Sept. 24 | 7 p.m.
Teams:Â Mercer Bears (0-1-1) at Georgia Southern Eagles (0-2-0)
Location:Â Statesboro, Ga.
ESPN+:Â https://es.pn/3mJK1pm
Live Stats:Â https://bit.ly/3hSwVm0
Twitter Updates:Â @MercerWSoccer
SERIES HISTORY/LAST TIME THESE PROGRAMS MET
The Bears have met the Eagles on the pitch 19 times with the last meeting coming in 2014. Georgia Southern holds an 11-7-1 series leading entering Thursday's match, the 20th between the two programs.
In 2014, Georgia Southern upset a Mercer squad that would ultimately advance to the NCAA Tournament, 2-0, behind a pair of goals from Jennifer Wittick. Wittick converted a penalty kick late in the first half and headed the ball into the net off a corner kick in the 75th minute for her second and final goal of the evening.
Despite the loss, Mercer placed eight shots on goal compared to just four for Georgia Southern. Maggie Cropp and Cristina Mursuli each played 45 minutes in goal. Marsuli was credited with two saves.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
The Bears enter the match with their in-state rival with an 0-1-1 mark after battling The Citadel to a 1-1 draw last Thursday afternoon. When a Bulldog defender attempted to stop Amaya Evans, she quickly transferred the ball to her right foot as the defender lost her balance; Evans gathered herself and sent the ball into the bottom corner of the net to give the Bears a 1-0 advantage in the sixth minute. Mercer's lead lasted until the 76th minute when The Citadel equalized, and after two overtime periods and 110 minutes of action, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Bears' two goals this season have come courtesy of Evans and Aliah Kitchens. Kitchens' equalizer against Georgia State in the season opener was her first career collegiate goal. Evans' score last Thursday was her first of 2020 and the eighth of her career. The Marietta, Ga. product leads the team in shots (8) and shots on goal (6). In goal, Jordyn Ebert has played full time in both contests. The senior has made nine saves over two contests.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Georgia Southern has been outscored 5-1 in two contests and is 0-2-0 overall. The Eagles opened the season with a 2-1 loss to The Citadel (Sept. 14) before falling to Appalachian State, 3-0, last Sunday.
Offensively, Georgia Southern has struggled, attempting only 10 shots in two contests with six of the 10 being on target. Maria Deangelo scored the lone goal of the season for the Eagles in the 41st minute of their loss to The Citadel. Sallie Newton received with the loss in both matches. In 135 minutes, she has allowed four goals and made nine saves.
Head coach Josh Moffett is 6-13-1 in his first head coaching position.
NOTABLES
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
MATCH INFO
Date:Â Thurs, Sept. 24 | 7 p.m.
Teams:Â Mercer Bears (0-1-1) at Georgia Southern Eagles (0-2-0)
Location:Â Statesboro, Ga.
ESPN+:Â https://es.pn/3mJK1pm
Live Stats:Â https://bit.ly/3hSwVm0
Twitter Updates:Â @MercerWSoccer
SERIES HISTORY/LAST TIME THESE PROGRAMS MET
The Bears have met the Eagles on the pitch 19 times with the last meeting coming in 2014. Georgia Southern holds an 11-7-1 series leading entering Thursday's match, the 20th between the two programs.
In 2014, Georgia Southern upset a Mercer squad that would ultimately advance to the NCAA Tournament, 2-0, behind a pair of goals from Jennifer Wittick. Wittick converted a penalty kick late in the first half and headed the ball into the net off a corner kick in the 75th minute for her second and final goal of the evening.
Despite the loss, Mercer placed eight shots on goal compared to just four for Georgia Southern. Maggie Cropp and Cristina Mursuli each played 45 minutes in goal. Marsuli was credited with two saves.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
The Bears enter the match with their in-state rival with an 0-1-1 mark after battling The Citadel to a 1-1 draw last Thursday afternoon. When a Bulldog defender attempted to stop Amaya Evans, she quickly transferred the ball to her right foot as the defender lost her balance; Evans gathered herself and sent the ball into the bottom corner of the net to give the Bears a 1-0 advantage in the sixth minute. Mercer's lead lasted until the 76th minute when The Citadel equalized, and after two overtime periods and 110 minutes of action, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Bears' two goals this season have come courtesy of Evans and Aliah Kitchens. Kitchens' equalizer against Georgia State in the season opener was her first career collegiate goal. Evans' score last Thursday was her first of 2020 and the eighth of her career. The Marietta, Ga. product leads the team in shots (8) and shots on goal (6). In goal, Jordyn Ebert has played full time in both contests. The senior has made nine saves over two contests.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Georgia Southern has been outscored 5-1 in two contests and is 0-2-0 overall. The Eagles opened the season with a 2-1 loss to The Citadel (Sept. 14) before falling to Appalachian State, 3-0, last Sunday.
Offensively, Georgia Southern has struggled, attempting only 10 shots in two contests with six of the 10 being on target. Maria Deangelo scored the lone goal of the season for the Eagles in the 41st minute of their loss to The Citadel. Sallie Newton received with the loss in both matches. In 135 minutes, she has allowed four goals and made nine saves.
Head coach Josh Moffett is 6-13-1 in his first head coaching position.
NOTABLES
- A pair of freshmen – Ellie Christensen and Gabby Zapata – made their collegiate debuts against The Citadel last week.
- Evans leads the Bears in shots with eight, while five players have three attempts on the year.
- Evans, Elizabeth Hargis and Alina McCue are the three Bears who have placed multiple shots on goal this season.
- Senior Abigail Zoeller is three assists away from passing Nancy Fallin (1991-94) for the most assists in program history. Zoeller set the single-season record with 11 assists last season. She is currently the Southern Conference's active assists leader.
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
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
GK
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F
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D
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F
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F
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MF
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MF/F
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