Mercer Women's Soccer has had an exciting few weeks, not just on the field but within the team as well, with the addition of a new member to the squad. Wednesday, Sept. 25, the Bears welcomed five-year-old Cameron Jones to their team and celebrated the signing of her "National Letter of Intent".
The Bears partnered with Team IMPACT to allow Jones to be an honorary member of the team. Jones has been diagnosed with Juvenile Dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune disease resulting in muscle weakness.
Junior Bri Stampler comments, "Cameron is such an incredible addition to our team, and such a blessing to all of us. She's so awesome. We couldn't be happier that she's a Mercer Bear."
The team and Jones alike are excited for her journey as a Mercer Bear. Jones will be in attendance to as many practices and games as possible this fall.
Jones will be wearing the No. 11 jersey as an honorary Mercer Women's Soccer this season. Jones’ facebook page, “cure4cameron”, will follow her journey.
Conference play for the Bears is officially underway, with four conference contests behind them. The Bears are 2-1-1 in conference, with an overall 7-5-2 record.
The Bears defeated Northern Kentucky in their first conference match with a 3-1 at home victory on Friday, Sept. 27.
The Bears took an early lead, scoring the first two goals of the match. Stampler scored in the sixth minute, with freshman Maddie Clark knocking one in just minutes behind in the ninth.
Northern Kentucky was able to score later in the half, but the Bears remained in control with Clark scoring the team’s third goal to secure the win over Northern Kentucky.
"It was our first conference game of the season. We knew it was important to get points the first weekend. Us scoring three goals in the first half was what we needed to win and take of the game early,” said Clark on the victory.
The Bears came up short against Lipscomb with a 1-2 loss. Lipscomb maintained 1-0 lead for a majority of the first half until junior MacKenzie Stewart scored just before the end of the half to tie the match.
The second half remained tied until the final few minutes when Lipscomb managed to get a shot in the 84th minute to secure the win.
The following weekend, the Bears continued conference play on the road, taking on East Tennessee State and USC Upstate. The Bears went 1-0-1 on the weekend, beating ETSU and tying with Upstate.
Friday, Oct. 4, the Bears challenged The ETSU Bucs. After a scoreless 30 minutes, the Bucs scored to take the lead. The Bears battled back with Stampler scoring in the 37th minute to tie it up.
The Bucs took back the lead in the second half, but in minute 77, junior Lauren Gassie scored to even the match. Senior Casey Barrett scored the game-winning goal in minute 82, ending in a victory for the Bears.
Sunday, Oct. 6th, Mercer traveled to ETSU Upstate. This scoreless contest ended in a tie after 110 minutes of play and 2 overtimes.
The Bears are currently third in conference, with a 2-1-1 record. The Bears take on in-state and conference rival Kennesaw State at Bear Field Friday, Oct. 11.
