Thursday, November 04, 2010

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – First-Team All-Atlantic Sun midfielder Olivia Tucker scored twice for Mercer as the Bears earned their third trip to the Atlantic Sun Women’s Soccer Championship title game in a 5-0 defeat of Stetson from the Ashley Sports Complex on the campus of Jacksonville University.

Rain delayed the start of the contest by more than 90 minutes but it did not affect the Bears offensive attack. Tucker found the back of the net in the 15th minute. The Bears (9-8-1) continued to pepper the Stetson (8-11-1) net. Hatter goalkeeper Andrea Garavaglia made several acrobatic saves to keep the margin at one, but within the span of 40 seconds, Mercer tacked on two quick goals, on tallies by Second Team forward Sara Elliot and Emerald Phillips to extend the margin to 3-0. Over the first 45 minutes, Mercer dominated the stat sheet outshooting Stetson 15-4 (8-3 on net).

Like the first half, Tucker and Elliot netted goals in the second stanza. Tucker scored first, off an assist by Nadja Kolliesuah for her fifth goal of the season – and third against the Hatters in 2010. Elliot scored her third goal in the last two games, connecting in the 68th minute closing out the scoring. Lauren Johnson totaled three assists on the night, setting an A-Sun Championship single-game record. The previous record, of two assists, had been accomplished 21 times, most recently in 2008 by Belmont’s Anna Walsh. Kolliesuah was also credited with two assists in the game.

The win represented a full reversal of the regular-season meeting between the schools. The Hatters handed the Bears a 5-1 loss on October 3. Since that day, Mercer has now won five straight by a 13-2 combined score. The 5-0 margin of victory represents the largest margin in an A-Sun Championship game since FAU defeated Stetson by that same score in a 2000 first-round match.

The Bears advance to their third title game in the last four seasons. In 2007, they lost 2-1 to Kennesaw State and one year later fell in a shootout to Belmont. Among the current A-Sun schools, only Jacksonville has appeared in more title games (four) than Mercer.

Mercer beat both Jacksonville and Kennesaw State in regular-season play. Kacie Hudson scored the lone goal and a home win against the Dolphins on September 26 and Elliot connected on an overtime-winning tally against the Owls in the finale on October 23. Game time for the title game is set for 1 p.m. and can be seen on ASun.TV – free of charge.

Follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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 five 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