After leading the Southern Conference with 11 goals her freshman season, Larkin Thomason ‘27 is continuing her hot streak. In 2023, she was named to the Second Team All-Conference and SoCon All-Freshman Team.
Thomason started this season by leading the conference and the team with eight goals in six consecutive games, and was named Southern Conference women’s soccer offensive player of the week on Aug. 27.
On Sept. 15, Thomason disrupted a scoreless match against Presbyterian College with a late goal in the 81st minute.
Despite leading the team with nine shots, Thomason was held scoreless against the Furman Paladins on Sept. 19. It was the first time she had not found the back of the net in seven games and one of only four games this season in which she did not score.
However, on Sept. 29, she was able to break her goalless streak with two goals against East Tennessee State University to secure a conference win for the Bears. Mercer was only the second team this season to shut out ETSU on their home field.
The sophomore leads her team with 27 points, 61 shots and 12 goals, surpassing her freshman year total. Teammate Jada Moorman ‘26 is second with 12 points and 40 shots.
The Bears are in fourth place in SoCon’s latest standings. Their 2-1-1 record in conference play leaves them at a .625 winning percentage, and they own an overall record of 8-3-2. Mercer trails behind Samford, Western Carolina University and UNC Greensboro.
To catch up to their SoCon foes, Mercer will have to rely on Thomason and her ability to score late in games and provide ample shots. She has four game-winning goals this season, and she leads the SoCon in shots with 61 shots. The only player closest to that number is WCU’s Isabella Demarco with 45.
Heading into Thursday's game against the University of Tennesee at Chattanooga, Thomason led the SoCon with 11 total goals and 24 points, with Wofford College’s Ines Obradovac ‘26 and Western Carolina University’s Milla Syska ‘26 tied for second with eight goals. In that game, she added another goal to her season total through a penalty
Additionally, before Mercer's 2-0 win against Chattanooga, Thomason ranked third in the nation in shots on goal per game with a 2.82 average, behind only Utah Valley’s Faith Webber ‘25 and UCF’s Chloe Netzel ‘25.
Seeding for the SoCon Tournament in November will depend largely on what the team and Thomason can do in the final stretch of the season, where they play solely SoCon opponents.
Mercer will have one more home game against Virginia Military Institute (1-3 against SoCon opponents) on Saturday, Oct. 6 before traveling to UNCG (2-0-1 against SoCon opponents) and the Samford Bulldogs (3-1 in the SoCon).
Pariss Nicholson ‘26 is majoring in Journalism and minoring in Media Studies at Mercer University. She hopes to report or write for ESPN after she graduates. Outside of her studies, she likes to read and watch sports games in her room.
