JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 26, 2023) – The waltz of ETSU women's soccer history strikes a familiar beat on Friday when the Bucs welcome their most-played opponent, the Mercer Bears, for the 2023 SoCon Women's Soccer Championship quarterfinals. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Summers-Taylor Stadium.
THE MATCHUP
ETSU (10-2-5) vs. Mercer (10-5-5)
Friday, October 27 | 4 p.m. | Summers-Taylor Stadium | ESPN+ | Live Stats
ABOUT THE BUCS
· ETSU received great news on end-of-season awards on Thursday. Goalkeeper
Ashton Blair was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, and forward
Reagan Fitzgerald was named SoCon Freshman of the Year. Blair was the first Defensive Player of the Year honoree for ETSU in program history, and Fitzgerald was the third SoCon Freshman of the Year, joining Shu Ohba in 2021 and Garazi Marua in 2014. ETSU has also had Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year awarded to
Sarah Zadrazil in 2012, Jenna Caudle in 2011, and Jordan Monty in 2006.
· Blair was named First Team All-SoCon along with center back
Sydney Somogyi and midfielder
Sinoxolo Cesane, while Fitzgerald was Second Team All-SoCon and earned SoCon All-Freshman Team honors alongside forwards
Ava Matherne and Ruby Teixeira. Fitzgerald has scored five goals in 2023, the most by a freshman since Caudle scored 10 in 2011.
Ava Matherne, Ruby Teixeira, Molly Cason, and Ella Parker have all found the net as freshmen for ETSU, totaling 10 of ETSU's 26 goals this season.
· Blair is 28th in the nation in goals against average (0.566) and 35th in save percentage (0.843). She tied the school single-season shutout record with a clean sheet against UNC Greensboro on October 12. ETSU as a team is 10th in the nation in goals against average, 18th in save percentage, and eighth in shutout rate. They set the program record for shutouts in a season with 11.
· The Buccaneers finished unbeaten at home in the regular season for the first time since 2016, when they went 8-0. They finished 2016 10-1 at home, with tournament wins over Western Carolina and Mercer and a loss to Samford in the SoCon championship game that year.
ABOUT MERCER
· Mercer won its
first-round matchup 1-0 at The Citadel on Tuesday after beating the Bulldogs two days prior at the end of the regular season. Lena Dykes scored her second goal of the year in the 21st minute and the Bears made it stand as the separator.
· The Bears are led by a dominant one-two offensive punch of Jada Moorman and Larkin Thomason. The duo has combined for a staggering 22 of the Bears' 42 goals in 2023, with the pair tied for 21st in the nation in total goals at 11 apiece.
· Mercer is historically a strong tournament team. They have reached the semifinals in four consecutive seasons and won the SoCon tournament in their first season in the conference in 2014.
SERIES HISTORY
· This is the 24th meeting between ETSU and Mercer, the most-played matchup in ETSU's history. The Buccaneers are 5-14-4 against Mercer all-time.
· The Bears won the regular season meeting 1-0 in Macon on October 1. Keelin Pray scored in the 52nd minute to lift Mercer to the win, handing ETSU their only conference loss this season.
· The Bucs and Bears have played in conference tournaments six times, dating back to the 2011 Atlantic Sun tournament. ETSU is 2-3-1 against Mercer in tournament play, with the Bears advancing past the Bucs on penalty kicks in 2022 after a 1-1 draw.
· ETSU's last win over Mercer in the tournament was also their last win over Mercer overall, a 1-0 victory on October 28, 2018.
Sarah Connolly scored in the 80th minute to advance ETSU into the semifinals.
UP NEXT
The winner of Friday's match will await the winner of third-seeded Samford and sixth-seeded Chattanooga in the semifinals on Sunday at 2 p.m. The match will be played at Summers-Taylor Stadium regardless of the teams involved.
For more information on ETSU women's soccer, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's soccer tab.
