Sunday, March 21
Macon, Ga.
2:00 PM
Mercer University
3
vs
1
VMI
Photo by: Mitch Robinson
Mercer Tops VMI, 3-1, for Fourth Straight Victory
3/21/2021 5:11:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The Bears now stand 4-1 in Southern Conference action.
MACON, Ga. –  The Mercer Bears won their fourth consecutive Southern Conference match, 3-1, over the VMI Keydets, on Sunday afternoon inside Betts Stadium.
Ciara Whitely needed just 2:11 to put the Bears in front. Madi Johnson played the ball to Aliah Kitchens who flicked it to Whitely who was positioned near the penalty spot. Whitely lofted the ball over the head of VMI's Sidney Swoope into the lower left quadrant of the net for the lead.
The Bears added a second goal in the 16th minute when Ally Fordham scored off a pass from Kendall Cook, who had the match-winner on Friday night. Fordham's conversion, her team-leading eighth of the season, put the Bears ahead by a pair of goals.
Mercer managed five shots over the last 29 minutes of the first half but placed just one on target. Despite not scoring a third goal, the Orange & Black controlled more than 65 percent of the possession. When VMI had the ball, Mercer's back line – led by Kylie Buchanan, Elizabeth Hargis, Brie Pavol and Lily Stauble – did not allow the Keydets to attempt a shot. VMI managed only two corners in the opening half and could not convert.
Kitchens, who was credited an assist in the first period, opened the scoring in the second half. In the 50th minute, she made a move around Swoope and smacked the ball into the wide-open net, pushing the home squad's lead to 3-0.
Jordyn Ebert was challenged for the first time in the 57th minute and successfully made the save, but VMI drew a foul in the box two seconds after the stop. The Keydets' Maria Vargas converted the penalty try to put VMI on the board.
The Bears had three attempts over the next 14 minutes, but all three were unsuccessful. The Keydets' physical style of play emerged late in the second half. Ebert stopped shots in the 72nd and 75th minutes before showing why she is a contender for Southern Conference Defender of the Year in the 81st minute. After a foul in the box, the referee awarded VMI the day's second penalty kick. Ebert showed tremendous poise, blocking both the penalty kick and shot off her deflection. Less than two minutes later, Vargas tried to pull VMI within one goal for the third time, but Ebert made her sixth and final save of the afternoon.
Mercer regained possession and heavily controlled the pace of play in the final 10 minutes, quieting VMI's attack and answering its physical play to secure the victory. The 3-1 win helped Mercer reach .500 overall on the season, as the Bears evened their record at 7-7-1.
The Bears doubled the Keydets in shots, 18-9, and had quadruple the number of corner kicks, 12-3. Kitchens led Mercer with seven attempts, while Vargas had a team-high four for VMI. Ebert made six saves in goal for Mercer, bringing her weekend total to 15.
Coach Tony Economopoulos Quotables
ON THE MATCH
"We told the team that we wanted to get six points this weekend. We control our destiny for a chance at a Southern Conference title. They knew it was a match that we needed to show urgency and get three points today. The urgency was there from the start. VMI made it difficult on us by scoring its first penalty kick, but Jordyn [Ebert] made a fantastic stop on the second PK. I thought we left some chances at the door that would have made the match easier for us, but overall I'm proud of the effort and that we got three points."
ON VMI'S PHYSICALITY
"We knew that VMI has a mentally tough team. What they do daily is rigorous, and we knew they would come out and fight for 90 minutes. I respect that. Our team matched the intensity. I was proud of them for scoring early in the second half and setting the tone with that goal. Even after VMI scored, I was happy with how we responded. We kept working to create more chances."
NOTABLES
Mercer will travel to Samford for a 7 p.m. (ET) match on March 26.
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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Ciara Whitely needed just 2:11 to put the Bears in front. Madi Johnson played the ball to Aliah Kitchens who flicked it to Whitely who was positioned near the penalty spot. Whitely lofted the ball over the head of VMI's Sidney Swoope into the lower left quadrant of the net for the lead.
The Bears added a second goal in the 16th minute when Ally Fordham scored off a pass from Kendall Cook, who had the match-winner on Friday night. Fordham's conversion, her team-leading eighth of the season, put the Bears ahead by a pair of goals.
Mercer managed five shots over the last 29 minutes of the first half but placed just one on target. Despite not scoring a third goal, the Orange & Black controlled more than 65 percent of the possession. When VMI had the ball, Mercer's back line – led by Kylie Buchanan, Elizabeth Hargis, Brie Pavol and Lily Stauble – did not allow the Keydets to attempt a shot. VMI managed only two corners in the opening half and could not convert.
Kitchens, who was credited an assist in the first period, opened the scoring in the second half. In the 50th minute, she made a move around Swoope and smacked the ball into the wide-open net, pushing the home squad's lead to 3-0.
Jordyn Ebert was challenged for the first time in the 57th minute and successfully made the save, but VMI drew a foul in the box two seconds after the stop. The Keydets' Maria Vargas converted the penalty try to put VMI on the board.
The Bears had three attempts over the next 14 minutes, but all three were unsuccessful. The Keydets' physical style of play emerged late in the second half. Ebert stopped shots in the 72nd and 75th minutes before showing why she is a contender for Southern Conference Defender of the Year in the 81st minute. After a foul in the box, the referee awarded VMI the day's second penalty kick. Ebert showed tremendous poise, blocking both the penalty kick and shot off her deflection. Less than two minutes later, Vargas tried to pull VMI within one goal for the third time, but Ebert made her sixth and final save of the afternoon.
Mercer regained possession and heavily controlled the pace of play in the final 10 minutes, quieting VMI's attack and answering its physical play to secure the victory. The 3-1 win helped Mercer reach .500 overall on the season, as the Bears evened their record at 7-7-1.
The Bears doubled the Keydets in shots, 18-9, and had quadruple the number of corner kicks, 12-3. Kitchens led Mercer with seven attempts, while Vargas had a team-high four for VMI. Ebert made six saves in goal for Mercer, bringing her weekend total to 15.
Coach Tony Economopoulos Quotables
ON THE MATCH
"We told the team that we wanted to get six points this weekend. We control our destiny for a chance at a Southern Conference title. They knew it was a match that we needed to show urgency and get three points today. The urgency was there from the start. VMI made it difficult on us by scoring its first penalty kick, but Jordyn [Ebert] made a fantastic stop on the second PK. I thought we left some chances at the door that would have made the match easier for us, but overall I'm proud of the effort and that we got three points."
ON VMI'S PHYSICALITY
"We knew that VMI has a mentally tough team. What they do daily is rigorous, and we knew they would come out and fight for 90 minutes. I respect that. Our team matched the intensity. I was proud of them for scoring early in the second half and setting the tone with that goal. Even after VMI scored, I was happy with how we responded. We kept working to create more chances."
NOTABLES
- Mercer won its fourth consecutive match.
- The win was the program's 280th overall.
- The Orange & Black improved to 7-1-0 against VMI.
- The Bears evened their overall record at 7-7-1
- Mercer is 4-1 in Betts Stadium this spring.
- Ebert made 15 saves in a pair of matches this weekend, her most in a two-match span.
- Fordham scored her team-best eighth goal of the season in Sunday's win.
- Fordham leads the Bears with 17 points, while Cook and Kitchens each have 16.
- Cook had two assists in the victory, moving her into a tie for the team lead.
Mercer will travel to Samford for a 7 p.m. (ET) match on March 26.
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
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
MF/F
/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
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