Eikelbarner's Penalty Kick In Overtime Sends Mercer To 1-0 Win Over Western Carolina in SoCon Semifinal

Sunday, November 2

Cullowhee, N.C.

2 p.m.

Mercer University

10-6-3, 3-3-3

Western Carolina

10-6-4, 5-2-2

Mercer

Western Caro.

Eikelbarner's Penalty Kick In Overtime Sends Mercer To 1-0 Win Over Western Carolina in SoCon Semifinal

11/2/2025 9:53:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Eikelbarner scored a penalty kick in the 109th minute

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – With a trip to the SoCon Tournament Championship game on the line, Morganne Eikelbarner stepped up to the penalty spot in the 109th minute of the game and buried her shot in the back of the net to lift the Bears to a 1-0 win over Western Carolina in the SoCon Tournament Semifinal Sunday afternoon from the campus of Western Carolina in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

With the win, the Bears advance to play the regular season champion Samford Bulldogs in the SoCon Tournament Championship game next Sunday, Nov. 9 from Birmingham, Alabama.

It was a tightly played, competitive game throughout the 109 minutes of play. Shots were 14-9 Western Carolina and shots on goal were 6-4 in favor of the Catamounts. There were 22 fouls in the game as well. Lindsay Bell and Avery Parker each played one half in goal for the Bears to earn the combined shutout.

Both teams were well structured defensively, preventing few quality scoring chances from either side's attacking players.

Neither team could find a goal in the 90 minutes of regulation which sent the game to overtime consisting of two 10-minute periods where the first team to score wins.

In the 109th minute, freshman Kelsie Henton slipped a ball to Farr in the box and she beat the Western Carolina goalie to the ball and was tripped to draw the penalty kick.

In the biggest moment of the season, Eikelbarner stepped up to the spot and buried it into the bottom right corner to give the Bears the 1-0 win in double overtime.

SCORING SUMMARY
23'	MERCER GOAL: Morganne Eikelbarner (9) ASSIST: None

NOTABLES

+ The win snaps Western Carolina's three-game winning streak against the Bears.
+ Mercer advances to play in the SoCon Tournament Championship game for the first time since 2015.
+ Morganne Eikelbarner's goal was her team best ninth goal of the season.
+ Lindsay Bell and Avery Parker each played one half in goal for the Bears to earn the combined shutout.
+ Eikelbarner led Mercer with six shots, including three on goal

UP NEXT

Mercer will take on SoCon regular season champion Samford in the SoCon Tournament Championship game next Sunday, Nov. 9 in Birmingham, Alabama.

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