Mercer's Winning Streak Halted by Samford

Friday, March 26

Birmingham, ALA.

7:00 PM (ET)

Mercer University

7-8-1, 4-2-0

Samford

4-1-3, 4-0-2

Mercer

Samford

Photo by: Kurt Ebert

3/26/2021 10:17:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Brie Pavol scored for the Orange & Black in the 2-1 loss.

By: Kraig Doremus

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Brie Pavol scored her first goal of the season, but two unanswered goals by the Samford Bulldogs ended the Mercer Bears' winning streak on Friday night. Samford won the Southern Conference match, 2-1.

Mercer was forced to withstand a strong initial attack from the Bulldogs in the opening minutes, but settled in and began to control the possession. By the 35^th minute of the opening half, the Bears had attempted five shots with tries from Elizabeth Hargis in the second minute and Kendall Cook in the 14^th minute on target.

Samford's first shot on goal came with less than 60 seconds until the intermission, but Jordyn Ebert easily made the save without any movement from her spot in goal, preserving a scoreless draw after 45 minutes.

The intensity increased in the final 45 minutes with both teams looking to stay within reach of league-leading Furman. Samford's Caroline Donovan had the first shot of the final half and nearly scored, sending the ball off the post before Mercer took possession.

Following Donovan's try, the Bears successfully turned the momentum in their favor. Aliah Kitchens' shot in the 51^st minute was off target, but her incredible run resulted in a corner for the visitors. Cook attempted the corner and found Pavol at the penalty spot who headed the ball into the upper 90 for her first goal of the 2020-21 campaign.

Mercer fought off an aggressive 14-minute span from the Bulldogs, successfully defending a corner kick and three attempts. Lexi Orman's try from the edge of the 18 in the 57^th minute almost found the back of the net, but the ball glanced off the woodwork, and Mercer maintained its 1-0 advantage.

In the 69^th minute, Nicole Icen's shot was saved by Samford's Morgan McAslan, but the second of back-to-back shots by Samford gave the home squad the equalizer. On the first shot, Ebert leapt into the air to deflect Donovan's shot from 25 yards out over the crossbar. On the ensuing corner, Alyssa Frazier sent the ball to Ella Sampson, and Sampson placed the ball past Ebert for the equalizer with 18:44 remaining in regulation.

Tries by Icen and Mackenzie Gassie were unsuccessful in the 75^th and 77^th minutes, and Ebert remained steady in goal, stopping a shot by the 'Dogs in the 83^rd minute.

With less than 50 seconds remaining, Ebert emerged from the box near to the post as she raced to corral the ball before Ella Simpson was able to get a touch. Ebert and Simpson arrived from opposite directions at the same time, and Simpson lost her footing in the box. The referee called a foul and awarded Samford a penalty kick. Frazier converted the try, giving Samford a 2-1 lead, which it maintained for the final 30 seconds.

The two teams combined for 21 shots with the Bulldogs holding an 11-10 advantage. Both teams placed five shots on target. Eight different Mercer players attempted a shot in the match with Pavol and Icen each taking a pair of shots. Ebert made three saves in the defeat.

Donovan, Frazier and Taylor Yount combined for seven of Samford's 11 attempts. McAslan made four stops in the net.

Coach Tony Economopoulos Quotables

THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH
"Samford was playing with emotion tonight in its annual Shauna's House game. We knew it would be a heavyweight fight between two good teams and that's exactly what it was tonight. Statistically, it was an even match. I thought we came to play and fought hard for 90 minutes. I am proud of the effort we showed; it's just unfortunate to lose like we did with less than a minute to play. We will regroup and get ready for Sunday at Chattanooga."

ON THE PLAY OFF BRIE PAVOL
"Brie was phenomenal. She continues to be a leader for us on the backline. She won several big tackles tonight and did a good job of sticking to the game plan. Her goal was great. We worked on the timing of runs off corner kicks in training this week since she is one of our targets. She timed that run perfectly and scored. I am happy for her."

NOTABLES

Pavol scored her first goal of the 2020-21 campaign. She became the 12^th different Bear to score over the course of the 2020-21 campaign.
Cook recorded her fifth assist of the season, which leads all Mercer players.
Cook has recorded a point in each of the Bears' last four matches.
The Alpharetta, Ga., native has tallied at least one point in six-of-ten spring matches.
Ebert recorded her 75^th save of the spring.
The Bears have attempted at least 10 shots in each match this spring.

UP NEXT
The Bears' final road match of the regular season is set for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday at Chattanooga.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
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