Bears Fall to Trojans in Overtime

Sunday, February 28

Macon, Ga.

5:00 PM

Mercer University

3-6-1, 0-0-0

Troy

4-9-1, 2-9-1

Troy

Mercer

Photo by: Mitch Robinson

2/28/2021 8:28:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Mercer concluded non-conference play with a 1-0 overtime loss.

By: Kraig Doremus

MACON, Ga. – Despite controlling the pace of play and outshooting the Troy Trojans 21-8, the Mercer Bears women's soccer team ended non-conference play with a 1-0 overtime loss.

The Bears opened the action with a multitude of opportunities as Payton Schurr, Cami Brown, Elizabeth Hargis and Ally Fordham all had attempts which fell short in the first 10 minutes. Kendall Cook took the first corner kick of the game in the 13^th minute and following that with a shot that forced Gabrielle Cossette to leap and grab the ball for the save.

Jordyn Ebert recorded two of her three saves in the match in a 2:50 span as she stopped shots by Troy's Taytum Terrell and Melissa Kuya-Strobel. After allowing the Trojans two shots on target, the Bears regained their composure and fired the final six shots of the half. Ciara Whitely's try in the 30^th minute was nearly successfully, but Cossette's impressive footwork came in handy as she managed to remain composed despite the pressure from the Mercer offense and kick the ball away. Three of the Bears' final four shots came from Nicole Icen while Schurr ended the half with a desperation attempt as the horn sounded.

Ebert made her last save of the match in the 49^th minute, and nine minutes later it looked as if the Bears would finally pull ahead. Less than three minutes after coming off the bench, Icen flicked a shot toward the net which was positioned to land over the outstretched arm of Cossette and fall into the net. Her shot, however, hit the top of the crossbar, and Cossette was able to quickly scoop up the ball and stop the Orange & Black's momentum. Unfazed, Icen fired off another attempt 43 seconds later which landed wide of the goal.

Cook and Fordham placed shots on target in the 65^th and 70^th minutes respectively, but both were stopped. The Bears' best opportunity of the evening came in the 72nd minute when Aliah Kitchens was fouled by Kate Eubanks as she approached the penalty spot. The referee stopped play and awarded Kitchens a penalty kick, which she sent towards the right post at a low angle. Cossette immediately suspected that Kitchens would aim her shot to the right and stretched her hands to cover the corner of the right post while falling to her knees. She successfully blocked the penalty try as the Troy bench came alive, but Mercer once again settled back into its offensive rhythm.

Jamie Hlebec and Kitchens each tried to unsuccessfully end the game in regulation while the Mercer back line did not allow Troy to attempt a shot over the final 23:54. Mercer actually found the back of the net in the 88^th minute, but the goal was called off due to the Orange & Black being offsides, and after 90 minutes, the two teams needed extra time to determine the outcome.

Troy's Eubanks scored her third goal of the 2020-21 campaign when Alisa Detlefsen flicked her the ball off a free kick. Eubanks' shot narrowly snuck by Ebert, allowing the Trojans to leave Macon with a 1-0 victory.

Icen took a game-high five shots with six players – Brown, Cook , Fordham, Schurr and Amaya Evans – each recording two attempts. The Bears were unable to take advantage of eight corner kicks but limited the Trojans to just one. Ebert made three saves in goal while Troy's Cossette made six stops.

COAH TONY ECONOMOPOULOS QUOTABLES

ON THE MATCH
"I thought it was a good match. We controlled the pace of play and possession. Troy played for one opportunity and put the free kick in the back of the net in overtime. We had two shots hit the crossbar and missed a penalty. Those types of opportunities will typically win teams matches, but we were not crucial in front of goal tonight. We will learn from this. It is going to hurt tonight, but we will understand that moving into Southern Conference play we have to put away our chances. It is a cruel game sometimes. It is a learning moment for us, but I am proud of our effort, the tempo and the opportunities we created."

ON NICOLE ICEN
"She played well. She was sharp and has been getting better and better each match since the fall. I am proud of how hard she has worked to recover. She has done a nice job of stepping up and working to achieve the playing level she was at in the fall of 2019. Overall, I thought the whole team put in good work throughout the entire week. We were prepared tonight, but we just did not make the most of our chances."

NOTABLES

Icen attempted a season-high five shots.
Mercer took 21 shots, eclipsing the 20-shot mark for the second time this season.
Kitchens leads the team with 19 shots. She is tied with Cook for the team lead in shots on goal with 11.
The Orange & Black held an opponent to less than 10 shots for the fourth time this season.
Ebert has stopped three shots in back-to-back matches.

UP NEXT
The Bears will open Southern Conference play on Friday at Furman. Match time is now set for 6 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