Thursday, August 19
Atlanta, Ga.
7:00 PM
Mercer University
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Georgia State
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Mercer
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Georgia St.
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Photo by: Kurt Ebert
Schurr Leads Bears to Victory in Season Opener
8/19/2021 9:55:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The 1-0 win was Tony Economopoulos’ 100th career victory at Mercer.
ATLANTA – Payton Schurr found herself in the right spot at the right time as she scored off the rebound from Aliah Kitchens' shot in the 54th minute to help the Mercer Bears defeat the Georgia State Panthers, 1-0, in the 2021 season opener.
The victory was Head Coach Tony Economopoulos' 100th as head coach of the Bears.
A tightly contested first half saw the two teams enter the intermission scoreless. Despite no goals at the break, the Bears controlled the tempo and nearly took the lead when Kendall Cook, the Bears' leading goal scorer in 2020-21, had her shot glance off the crossbar early in the second half.
In the 54th minute, Cook played a pivotal role in helping the Bears get on the scoreboard. Her free kick from 23 yards out on the left side of the field made its way into the box where it found the head of Schurr. Schurr headed the ball towards the lower-left corner of the net, but Jaddah Foos got a hand on the ball to make the stop. Foos dove and deflected the ball towards Kitchens, and Kitchens' attempt had a similar result. Foos then deflected it back to Schurr who scored the eventual match-winner off the rebound.
Down 1-0 late in the action, the Panthers attempted to equalize in front of a rowdy home crowd that was part of the debut of the new Georgia State Soccer Complex. The Mercer defense, anchored by Kylie Buchanan, held steady and allowed Georgia State only five shots and two corner kicks in the final 30 minutes. Ebert saved both shots on target in the final 30 minutes and made a stellar diving stop with slightly more than 26 minutes remaining. Her final save came with 12 seconds left in regulation.
Mercer controlled possession throughout the contest and outshot the Panthers, 13-8. The Orange & Black held a 4-3 advantage in shots on target. 10 Bears accounted for the team's 13 shots with a trio of players – Buchanan, Shcurr and freshman Lana Whitfield – each taking two. Maddie Johnston and Bree Barley had half of the Panthers' eight attempts. In goal, the Panthers' Foos made three saves.
"We knew coming in that Georgia State would be a tough opponent," said Economopoulos. "They beat us twice last year, so we were excited to start the year against them. Our staff understood that it was going to be a good test, a good gauge of where we were at with the team. We have a group that gelled nicely during the preseason. Tonight, we generated chances and kept pressing. I thought we played well. It was good to get new players some minutes. This was a tough match, and Sunday against [reigning Big South Champion] Campbell will be as well. It's one of the toughest stretches to open a season that we've had during my time at Mercer. We don't have much video from this year, but we expect to see a very physical, good Campbell team at home on Sunday. We're excited to play at Betts Stadium in front of a supportive home crowd."
NOTABLES
The Bears will host the Campbell Fighting Camels at 2 p.m. on Sunday for their home opener.
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
The victory was Head Coach Tony Economopoulos' 100th as head coach of the Bears.
Winning is fun! Celebrating a milestone win is even more fun!
— Mercer Women's Soccer (@MercerWSoccer) August 20, 2021
Congrats on 💯 wins at Mercer, @Coach_TonyE !#RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/NM7xzjH3sw
A tightly contested first half saw the two teams enter the intermission scoreless. Despite no goals at the break, the Bears controlled the tempo and nearly took the lead when Kendall Cook, the Bears' leading goal scorer in 2020-21, had her shot glance off the crossbar early in the second half.
A 🚀 from Kendall Cook hits the crossbar. So close, once again.#RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/uQeWUk52xz
— Mercer Women's Soccer (@MercerWSoccer) August 20, 2021
In the 54th minute, Cook played a pivotal role in helping the Bears get on the scoreboard. Her free kick from 23 yards out on the left side of the field made its way into the box where it found the head of Schurr. Schurr headed the ball towards the lower-left corner of the net, but Jaddah Foos got a hand on the ball to make the stop. Foos dove and deflected the ball towards Kitchens, and Kitchens' attempt had a similar result. Foos then deflected it back to Schurr who scored the eventual match-winner off the rebound.
.@payton_schurr shows that scoring off rebounds isn't just a basketball thing! Mercer leads, 1-0!#RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/m4nq3ZEoQC
— Mercer Women's Soccer (@MercerWSoccer) August 20, 2021
Down 1-0 late in the action, the Panthers attempted to equalize in front of a rowdy home crowd that was part of the debut of the new Georgia State Soccer Complex. The Mercer defense, anchored by Kylie Buchanan, held steady and allowed Georgia State only five shots and two corner kicks in the final 30 minutes. Ebert saved both shots on target in the final 30 minutes and made a stellar diving stop with slightly more than 26 minutes remaining. Her final save came with 12 seconds left in regulation.
𝗕𝗜𝗚 time players make 𝗕𝗜𝗚 time plays! @jordynebert_17 | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/67CMcpBEkA
— Mercer Women's Soccer (@MercerWSoccer) August 20, 2021
Mercer controlled possession throughout the contest and outshot the Panthers, 13-8. The Orange & Black held a 4-3 advantage in shots on target. 10 Bears accounted for the team's 13 shots with a trio of players – Buchanan, Shcurr and freshman Lana Whitfield – each taking two. Maddie Johnston and Bree Barley had half of the Panthers' eight attempts. In goal, the Panthers' Foos made three saves.
"We knew coming in that Georgia State would be a tough opponent," said Economopoulos. "They beat us twice last year, so we were excited to start the year against them. Our staff understood that it was going to be a good test, a good gauge of where we were at with the team. We have a group that gelled nicely during the preseason. Tonight, we generated chances and kept pressing. I thought we played well. It was good to get new players some minutes. This was a tough match, and Sunday against [reigning Big South Champion] Campbell will be as well. It's one of the toughest stretches to open a season that we've had during my time at Mercer. We don't have much video from this year, but we expect to see a very physical, good Campbell team at home on Sunday. We're excited to play at Betts Stadium in front of a supportive home crowd."
NOTABLES
- Economopoulos recorded his 100th career win as Mercer's head coach.
- Mercer won the first-ever regular season women's soccer match at Georgia State's new soccer complex.
- The win was the Bears' 12th all-time over the Panthers.
- The Bears are 5-1 in season openers dating back to 2016.
- Schurr netted her second career match-winner and first since 2018.
- Ebert made three saves, bringing her career total to 362.
- Mercer outshot Georgia State, 13-8.
The Bears will host the Campbell Fighting Camels at 2 p.m. on Sunday for their home opener.
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
Team Stats
MER
GSU
Goals
1
0
Shots
13
8
Shots on Goal
4
3
Saves
3
3
Corners
7
2
Fouls
10
10
Scoring Plays
Payton Schurr (1)
GOAL by MER Schurr, Payton.
53:02
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
MF/D
/ Women's Soccer
F/MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
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