Mercer Defeats UNCG, 1-0, in SoCon Home Opener

Friday, March 19

Macon, Ga.

7:00 PM

Mercer University

6-7-1, 3-2-1

UNCG

1-4-2, 1-3-1

UNC Greensboro

Mercer

Photo by: Mitch Robinson

Mercer Defeats UNCG, 1-0, in SoCon Home Opener

3/19/2021 10:25:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Kendall Cook scored a penalty kick in the first half.

By: Kraig Doremus

MACON, Ga. – Kendall Cook converted a penalty kick in the 34^th minute, and Jordyn Ebert made nine stops in goal to help the Mercer Bears defeat the UNCG Spartans, 1-0, in the Orange & Black's Southern Conference home opener on Friday.

Ebert's nine saves moved her into second all-time in program history with 329 career stops. She passed Teresa Patterson (1990-93) who made 325 stops in four years.

Both goalkeepers were challenged in the first eight minutes, but Ebert would be tested significantly starting in the 15^th minute. Ebert stopped Hannah Morton's shot and made saves in the 18^th and 20^th minutes to preserve a scoreless match. From there, the Bears took the next five shots of the match with attempts by Cami Brown and Aliah Kitchens on goal in the 27^th and 28^th minutes.

UNCG's Caroline Woods had a shot fall wide of the net in the 32^nd minute, and two minutes later the Bears took the lead. Kitchens drew a foul in the box in the 34^th minute, and Kendall Cook took the penalty kick, sending it past Aiyanah Tyler-Cooper for the goal.

After Cook gave the Orange & Black a 1-0 advantage, Ebert made one final save in the first half to preserve the shoutout through 45 minutes.

Ebert did not have long to rest in goal when the final half started, as she was forced to make three consecutive saves just 90 seconds after the half began. Woods fired the first attempt at Ebert, who stooped low to make a save, and the Spartans' Kayla Campbell quickly took attempts, challenging the veteran keeper once again. Ebert stopped both of Campbell's tries and sent the ball to Mercer's attacking third where Ally Fordham placed a shot on target.

Ebert was challenged for the last time in the 51^st minute, and Mercer took control of the match with numerous tries to take a multi-goal lead in the final 20 minutes. With 16:57 remaining in the half, Pace Stephenson's shot on goal nearly found the back of the net, and Payton Schurr responded with two consecutive shots of her own. Inside of five minutes, Kitchens sent a shot over the crossbar, and Brie Pavol nearly scored from 12 yards out off a free kick, but Tyler-Cooper made the stop.

The Bears retained possession after Tyler-Cooper punted towards midfield and earned a corner with 61 seconds remaining. Following the corner kick, Mercer was earned multiple throw-ins and ran out the clock to pick up its third Southern Conference win of the season and first in Betts Stadium.

The chippy match featured 22 fouls and seven yellow cards, including five in the second half. Mercer outshout UNCG, 19-14, and both teams took five corner kicks. Ebert made nine saves in goal while Tyler-Cooper stopped eight shots.

Coach Tony Economopoulos Quotables

ON THE WIN
"I want to credit Aliah [Kitchens] for drawing a penalty kick. Kendall's conversion was huge, and our whole team did a nice job of possessing the ball leading up to the penalty. It was a physical match, a heavyweight fight. I am proud of how our team responded. The ladies dug their heels in to pull out a win against a good UNCG squad. We told the team to not come out flat to start the second half; it was a big moment when Jordyn [Ebert] made those three saves in the first minutes of the second half. She has been working hard."

ON MINUTES FOR THE FRESHMAN
"We're trying to find minutes for a lot of our freshman and have been watching them in practice. We gave Gabby Zapata a shot tonight, and she stepped in and connected some passes while making tackles. She had good confidence and composure."

NOTABLES

The Bears improved to 3-1 in Southern Conference action thanks to three consecutive victories.
The win moves Mercer into third-place in the SoCon standings.
The Orange & Black improved to 3-1 in Betts Stadium this spring.
Cook's sixth goal of the season moved her to second among all Bears in goals (6) and points (14).
Mercer attempted 19 shots, its third highest total of the 2020-21 campaign.
Mercer attempted a penalty kick for the sixth time this season. The Bears are 4-of-6 (.667) on PKs.
Ebert made a season-high nine saves and now has 66 stops on the season.
Ebert moved into second all-time in program history in saves with 329.

UP NEXT
The Bears will welcome VMI to Betts Stadium on Sunday at 2 p.m. EDT.

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