VMI women’s soccer loses 4-0 at Mercer

The Mercer Bears scored three first half goals to take a lead they would not relinquish, en route to a 4-0 victory over the VMI Keydets Sunday in Southern Conference women’s soccer action in Macon, Ga.

Mercer (6-4-1, 1-0-1 SoCon) struck early against VMI (2-8, 1-1) goalkeeper Kirsten Hancock. Brianna Stampler scored from 25 yards out in the 10th minute to put the home team up, 1-0, and Lauren Gassie added on in the 14th minute for a 2-0 advantage. The Bears then scored on a Katelyn Dimopoulos tap-in at 36:02 to go into halftime up 3-0, and wrapped up the scoring in the 49th minute to account for the final margin.

In its win, Mercer finished with a 28-7 edge in shots and an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks. Hancock made four saves, as did Emily Marbury, who played the second half. Cristina Mursuli made three second-half saves for Mercer after relieving first half keeper Maggie Cropp.

The Bears put pressure on Hancock almost from the opening kick. The VMI keeper made saves at 3:48 and 7:09, but Abbey Reddig found Stampler with a short pass 25 yards out and Stampler converted in the 10th minute to make it 1-0, Mercer.

The Mercer pressure continued after the goal as Hancock stopped Tess Patton at 13:29, but moments later, Patton cross in a ball to Washida Blackman. Blackman tipped the ball to Gassie, who converted a header for a 2-0 Mercer lead.

The match settled down a bit from there, with Hancock making a save in the 24th minute to hold the score at 2-0. The Keydets got their first shot of the match in the 26th minute as Kirsten Whitehurst, who returned for this game after missing Friday’s contest due to injury, missed high.

MU then added on in the 37th minute, when Isabel Rothschadl crossed a ball in to Dimopoulos, who scored easily for a 3-0 home team lead.

Marbury relieved Hancock for the start of the second half, but Mercer added on in the 49th minute, when Gassie found Blackman for a shot into the left corner of the net and a 4-0 home team advantage. That wrapped up the scoring, as Mursuli was able to stop shots by Allie Segura and Whitehurst early in the second half. Lauren Wandzel was then turned aside in the waning moments to preserve the final margin.

VMI women’s soccer will return to action Thursday, playing its final non-conference match of the season by taking on Delaware State in Dover, Del. Action gets underway at 7 p.m.