Thursday, November 06, 2008

KENNESAW, Ga. - In the first half, the Mercer Bears kept the pressure on in the Jacksonville zone. Atlantic Sun's Freshman of the Year, Mercer midfielder Olivia Tucker scored twice for top-seeded Bears as they rode a dominating defensive performance to a 2-0 victory over No. 4 Jacksonville at the A-Sun Championship.semifinal match of the 2008 Atlantic Sun Women's Soccer Championship in Kennesaw, Ga

Just four minutes into the first half, Senior Meghan Castaldo sent a corner kick across the net to teammate Ali Meek, but Rooney punched the ball over the net. Castaldo attempted to convert five corners into goals, but the Jacksonville defense held strong. At 29:11, a header from Mercer forward Katheryn Hurst led to a confusing time in the net, Tucker turned and snuck a goal past Rooney to score the second goal of the match.

After a lot of pressure in the Mercer zone, the Jacksonville offense was inches away from converting a goal. In the last three mintes of the first half, JU senior Katie Orr hit the crossbar with a header, Liza Grimsgaard rebounded with another header, but a quick save by first-team All-Conference goalkeeper Jean Worts pushed the ball off a Dolphin player.

Jacksonville came out strong in the second half, putting a lot more pressure on the Bear net, but could not connect with the goal. The defense, led by Defensive Player of the Year Heather Manting, kept the Dolphins to only five shots through the whole game. Mercer now has 11 shutouts for a new program record.

Mercer will face the winner of No. 2 Kennesaw State and No. 3 Belmont. That game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on ASun.TV. See Mercer back in action in the Championship game Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and 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.