Mercer Suffers 1-0 Setback at Chattanooga

Sunday, March 28

Chattanooga, TENN.

2:00 PM

Mercer University

7-9-1, 4-3-0

Chattanooga

6-1-1, 5-1-1

Mercer

Chattanooga

Photo by: Kurt Ebert

3/28/2021 4:48:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Sunday was the Bears’ final road match of the regular season.

By: Kraig Doremus

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Mercer Bears surrendered an early first half goal and were unable to net the equalizer, falling to the Chattanooga Mocs, 1-0, on an overcast Sunday afternoon in the Scenic City.

Chattanooga attempted the first shot of the match in the seventh minute, but it was off target. In the 10^th minute of action, Jordyn Ebert made her first of five saves on the afternoon, yet the Mocs'

Chloe Arnold snuck one past the veteran goalkeeper in the 13^th minute to give the home squad a 1-0 lead. After surrendering the goal, the Mercer backline – which featured a pair of seniors in Brie Pavol and Lily Stauble – did not allow Chattanooga another shot attempt in the first half.

Kendall Cook, who has become a critical offensive piece for the Bears' attack, nearly equalized in the 28^th minute, but her shot was blocked. Payton Schurr followed Cook with a try that clanged off the right post, providing a scare for the Mocs. Cook's free kick from 22 yards out in the final minute of the period landed mere inches over the crossbar, and Ally Fordham's try, which was Mercer's last attempt of the opening frame, was high of the net as well.

Ebert remained locked in in the final half, stopping a shot in the 49^th minute and another try less than 10 minutes later. The Bears had two looks at the equalizer in the 62^nd and 66^th minutes, but tries by Pavol and Fordham landed high of the goal. Ebert, a native of Suwanee, Ga., made her final two stops in the 76^th and 83^rd minutes, while the Orange & Black's final shot on goal came courtesy of Cook in the 86^th minute. Cook sent a rocket towards the upper 90 from just inside the left edge of the 18, however Chattanooga's Abbey Saddler thwarted Mercer's last attempt at the equalizer to secure a 1-0 win for the Mocs.

Both squads took eight shots in the match with three attempts each by Cook and Fordham leading the Bears. Ebert stopped five shots in goal, bringing her season total to 80 saves.

Coach Tony Economopoulos Quotable
"It was a tough match for us, but I am proud of the team's effort. We did not come out with the same urgency as Friday night [at Samford], but after we surrendered the early goal, we turned up the urgency and intensity and had some looks to equalize. We were not quite the same team this weekend that we have been the past three weeks, but that just shows how good the Southern Conference is. We are looking forward to the challenge ahead of us, and we can still be one of the four teams that makes the SoCon tournament if we take care of business at Betts Stadium next week."

NOTABLES

Ebert made five saves, increasing her season total to 80 stops.
She has stopped at least five shots in five of the Bears' last seven matches.
Cook and Fordham tied for a team-high three attempts.
Mercer's eight shots improved its streak of games with eight or more attempts to 10 consecutive matches.
Through 17 matches, the Bears are outshooting opponents, 260-190 and 124-106 in shots on goal.

UP NEXT
The Bears will look to finish strong before the Southern Conference tournament with a pair of home games against Western Carolina (Thursday, 6 p.m., ESPN+) and ETSU (Saturday, 7 p.m.)

FOLLOW THE BEARS
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