Fall sports overview

Women’s Soccer

 

After a full 90 minutes and two overtimes, the Mercer Women’s Soccer Team could not overpower the Furman University Paladins, tying the team 0-0.

In the Oct. 5th contest, the Bears outshot the Paladins 16-12 but could not find the back of the net. Senior Tess Patton led the Bears with four shots on goal while Washida Blackman registered three of her own. Maggie Cropp, goalkeeper for the Bears, tallied seven saves, which was a season-high for her.

After the hard-fought contest, the Bears sat at second place in the Southern Conference and were looking to take the first place spot in their next game.

In another double overtime battle, the Bears came out victorious against the East Tennessee State University Bucs, who previously sat in the first place spot.

Early in the game, the Bucs took the lead and held onto it for most of the game. In the 88th minute, senior Stephanie Giangiuli found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. After 90 minutes and the first overtime, Maddie Clark scored the game winning goal for the Bears, making the final score 2-1.

In their final game of the weekend and their senior night, the Bears defeated the Western Carolina Catamounts 1-0.

Just before halftime, Washida Blackman found the back of the net to put the Bears on top. Goalkeeper Maggie Cropp registered four saves along with her fourth shutout of the season.

Nearing the end of their SoCon play, the Bears overwhelmed the Citadel Bulldogs 3-0. The first half was scoreless, but that changed almost immediately going into the second half when the Bulldogs scored in their own goal. From there, it was only going to go up for the Bear. Both Emma Chandlee and Washida Blackman registered goals for the Bears. Maggie Cropp tallied her fifth shutout of the season.

 

Men’s Soccer

 

After traveling to Johnson City, Tenn., the Mercer Men’s Soccer Team overcame the ETSU Bucs 1-0.

In the 67th minute of play, Jourdan Gooden recorded the single goal of the game off of a pass from teammate Thomas Glennon. In the victory, goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh tallied some solid saves, including a one-on-one shot. He registered four total saves for the contest.

With an impressive crowd at Bear Field, the men’s soccer team defeated the University of North Carolina-Greensboro Spartans 3-2.

The Spartans were the first to score, but the Bears answered back almost immediately. Will Bagrou scored in the 12th minute and again just before halftime.

After the break, the Spartans fired back, making the score 2-2, but the Bears were not settling for a tie. In the last 10 minutes of the game, Max Poore scored off of a penalty kick, securing the win for the Bears. Ranjitsingh registered five total saves for the Bears, with four being in the first half alone.

After a full day for Mercer Athletics, the men’s soccer team concluded the day with a victory over No. 24 the Furman Paladins.

In the 3-0 victory, Carson Brooks, freshman starter for the Bears, tallied two goals while Ian Antley scored one. All three goals came late in the second half, as the Bears continued to remain perfect in Southern Conference play.

In their first conference loss of the season, the Bears were defeated by the Wofford Terriers 2-1. The first half remained scoreless, but the Terriers soon took the lead in the second with a goal in the 47th minute. The Bears answered back in the 65th minute with a goal by Carson Brooks. The Bears were unable to hold onto the tie as the Terriers scored with four minutes left in the game.

In an exciting double overtime game, the Bears defeated the University of North Carolina-Greensboro Spartans. In the first half, Mercer held onto the lead with a goal by David Murtaugh in the 25th minute. The Spartans answered back with a goal off of a free kick in the 58th minute. Both teams were unable to find the back of the net for the rest of the game until the 104th minute. Thomas Glenn scored the game winning goal and Ranjitsingh recorded seven saves.

The Bears remain first in the conference with a record of 5-1 in conference play.

 

Women’s Volleyball

 

In a midweek road contest, the Mercer Women’s Volleyball team faced the Samford University Bulldogs. Continuing to struggle with injuries, the Bears fell to the Bulldogs 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-20).

In the match, Bailey Noon, freshman defensive specialist for the Bears, registered a team-high of 10 digs with one service ace. Returning to play after a severe concussion, Monica Johnson tallied six kills while teammate Molly Locke tallied seven. Hannon Noon and Claire Walizcek, setters for the Bears, added 27 combined assists.

Returning home, the Bears were defeated by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-23, 30-28).

In the hard fought battle between the two teams, Junior Molly Locke led the Bears with 25 kills on 59 attempts with only eight errors. Cara Tripp, middle blocker for the Bears, also contributed double-digit kills with 11 on the day. Before injuring her knee early in the third set, junior Monica Johnson tallied seven kills as well. Setters Noon and Walizcek added a combined 45 assists in the contest.

In a midweek non conference game, the Bears overcame the Savannah State University Tigers 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-15).

In the contest, Molly Locke led the Bears with 14 kills while Tori Penrod led defensively with 14 digs. Hannah Noon, redshirt sophomore, registered 21 assists in the win.

In a five-set thriller, the Bears fell to the Western Carolina Catamounts 3-2 (25-16, 21-25, 17-25, 25-15, 15-10).

In the contest, Locke led the Bears once again with 19 kills and 30 digs. This is Locke’s tenth double-double of the year while setter Hannah Noon tallied an impressive 52 assists in the loss. Also, Caroline Carlton tallied 14 kills with only one error, receiving a .361 hitting percentage.

Battling a longtime rival, the Bears were unable to overcome the ETSU Buccaneers and fell to the team 3-1 (25-16, 25-15, 19-25, 25-13). Both Locke and freshman Emily Krogman registered 12 kills in the match, with Locke also tallying 14 digs. This is Locke’s eleventh double-double for the year, and it was a season high for Krogman.

Men’s Golf

 

In the AutoTrader Classic located in Duluth, Ga., the Mercer Men’s Golf Team was cut short in finishing the tournament because of cancellation due to heavy rain and tornado warnings. Before the cancellation, the Bears finished the first day in sixth place out of 12 teams with a score of 572.

Sophomores Emmanuel Kountakis and Sean Smothers led the Bears on the first day. Kountakis finished the day with a total score of 140 and was in fourth place. Smothers registered an overall score of 140 and finished in ninth place.

 

Women’s Golf

 

Traveling to Daytona, Fla., the Mercer Women’s Golf Team participated in the LPGA Xavier Invitational. In the three-day tournament, the Bears placed eighth out of 13 teams with a total score of 952, just 14 strokes high of seventh place.

Leading the Bears, sophomore Katy Harris took 14th place with an overall score of 229. Senior Meredith Owens had the next best finish in 44th place with a score of 241.