Friday, October 28, 2011

MACON, Ga. - The 2011 Atlantic Sun Women's Soccer Championship is set for play as the two first-round games kick-off this Friday and Saturday in Jacksonville and Nashville. Mercer travels down to face Jacksonville on Friday at 7 p.m., while North Florida treks up to Nashville for a 3 p.m. CT kick-off on Saturday.

In the regular season, the Bears and Dolphins headed into overtime before a Raquel Weckhurst shot in the 109th minute won the contest for JU. The two teams also meet in last year's women's soccer championship final with Mercer coming out the victor with a 1-0 contest.

Belmont and North Florida also headed into overtime knotted at 0-0 during the regular season, but neither team could muster a goal as the contest ended as a scoreless draw. The Bruins return to the A-Sun Championship after a one-year break, while the Ospreys appear in the tournament for the second-straight season.

A-Sun Women's Soccer Championship First Round Notes:
Jacksonville
• The share of the regular-season title is the first A-Sun trophy for the Dolphins since 2000, when the team went undefeated (9-0).
• Jacksonville's Liz Fink and Emily Culbreth both landed on the A-Sun First Team All-Conference squad. It marks Fink’s third all-conference selection as the senior midfielder ranks second amongst active A-Sun student-athletes with 52 points in her career.
• The Dolphins goalkeeper Sarah Sierra ranked second in three A-Sun categories this season; GAA (0.83), save percentage (.837) and shutouts (7).

Mercer
• Mercer captured the 2010 A-Sun Championship with a 5-0 win against Stetson and a 1-0 victory vs. Jacksonville. It was the first postseason A-Sun Championship for the Bears in program history.
• Mercer’s Olivia Tucker became one of nine A-Sun women’s soccer players to receive four all-conference honors. The senior ranks first amongst active players in points with 70 on 32 goals and six assists.
• The Bears started off the season with five-straight wins, which marked the best start in program history.
• Mercer is 2-5-1 in their past eight matches, but claimed wins in two of the final three matches to win a spot in the championship.

Belmont
• The Bruins played in 11 matches this season in which the game was decided by one goal or fewer. They were 7-3-1 in those matches.
• Senior defender Gretchen Sutch led the Bruins in scoring this season with nine points on three goals and three assists. Her prodcution earned her second-team all-conference honors for her third career A-Sun All-Conference honor.
• Belmont has only managed one goal or fewer in each of the past eight matches.

North Florida
• Carolina Lencina, a firsst-team All-Atlantic Sun selection was tops on the team with five goals and five assists, while Lauren Hopfensperger - a second team selection, posted five goals and three assists. The duo ranks ninth and tenth amongst active A-Sun women’s soccer players.
• The Ospreys posted an undefeated record at home this season at 4-0-2. In road games, UNF went 3-8 for the year.
• On eight occasions this season, the UNF offense has exploded for multi-goal games. The Ospreys highest scoring game on the year came against Coastal Carolina in a 5-0 win.

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

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. 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, 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.