Tuesday, September 02, 2008

MACON, Ga. - Mercer senior Heather Manting and Jacksonville freshman Jessica Hurtado earned Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honors the conference office announced Tuesday.

Hurtado started in each of Jacksonville's games totaling 241 minutes. She scored two goals (one PK) and had an assist in the Dolphins' win against Flagler. The Butler, N.J. native, named one of the top 75 high school recruits by Soccerbuzz.com, was a four-year starter at Butler High School. She also played soccer for the US U-17 national team during her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.

Manting captained the Bears' side and played central defense in helping Mercer keep a clean sheet in its 4-0 win over Jackson State on Sunday. Thanks to her presence, ability to read the game and ability to keep the team organized from the back, she helped hold the Lady Tigers to just one shot and zero shots on goal in the entire match. The Lilburn, Ga. native also scored a goal for the Bears, and saw a free kick effort hit the crossbar, which led to a Mercer goal.

Mercer travels to Jacksonville, Ala. to take part in the JSU Gamecock Classic next weekend. The Bears meets Samford at 6 p.m. on Sept. 5, followed by a clash with hosts Jacksonville State two days later. Jacksonville heads to Tallahassee, Fla. to face West Florida on Sunday, Sept. 7. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers
Kristin Kranick, KSU, (F - Fr. - Smyrna, Ga - Sports Medicine), scored against Jackson State while only playing 25 minutes and had the first penalty kick in the shootout against Davidson; netted first goal of the season
Ali Meek, MER, (MF - So. - Canton, Ga. - Undeclared), won a place in the Mercer starting lineup after just two games in the season, Ali ran tirelessly throughout the 90 minutes, and was at the heart of all the Bears' best moves on the night; had a team-high five shots, three of which were shots on goal and two assists.
Alex Rooney,JU, (GK - Fr. - Peoria, Ill. - Exercise Science), tallied a perfect 2-0 record in goal this week with a shutout against Flagler and a tie with Duquesne....made three stops against the Saints (8/25)...recorded seven saves against the Dukes (8/29)

A-Sun Weekly Notes
Campbell dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 10 Duke on Friday night before rebounding to tie Appalachian State 1-1. Boomie Luck recorded 11 saves in the first half of the Duke came to keep the score 1-0. Sophomore Hanna Salmen scored in the 86th minute against Appalachian State to tie the game. The Camels are now 0-1-2 this season and will return to action on Saturday as the travel to take on VMI.

The Lady Bisons are back at home for a pair of games this weekend with Presbyterian visiting Friday afternoon and Tennessee-Chattanooga playing on campus Sunday afternoon. Sophomore forward Kate Spellman, who scored two goals last season, has scored once in the first two games this season. The Lady Bisons have opened the season starting four freshman: midfielder Danielle Bethke, defender April Horner, midfielder Meghan McGuire and forward Kirsten Heikkinen.