KENNESAW, Ga. – After forcing their second ever Atlantic Sun Tournament match to double overtime, the Belmont women’s soccer team (13-6-3) was unable to knock off the number two seed Mercer (11-6-2) on Thursday night. The Bruins fell 5-3 in penalty kicks to the Bears.

The match opened with plenty of back and forth action between the teams. Aggressiveness gave way to patience as each team measured their attacks and concentrated on putting together a strike that would break the 0-0 stalemate. Midway through the first stanza, Lauren Johnson fired a shot toward senior goalkeeper Micaela Crowley (Hoover, Ala.) which she easily halted. Mercer then went on to record a series of shots on goal but none with enough power to seriously challenge Atlantic Sun All-Conference Second Team honoree Crowley inside the net. The match remained knotted at 0-0 as time expired and the teams headed into the halftime break.

It was déjà-vu for the Bruins when Mercer’s Raschelle Riley netted the team’s first goal of the match at the 58:45 mark. Junior Anna Holt (Nashville, Tenn.) notched the equalizer goal less than a minute later, after deflecting the ball off a Mercer defender, with the assist going to sophomore Elizabeth Bublis (Norman, Okla.). The Bears settled down and attempted to regain control of the match’s tempo but the match reverted back to a defensive struggle. With just six minutes remaining in regulation, senior A-Sun All-Conference First Time selection Sarah Brandt (Hendersonville, Tenn.) sent a long ball towards the Mercer goal but it sailed just over the crossbar. The teams traded shots as time winded down but neither was able to capitalize on any of those scoring opportunities.

In the first overtime period, the Bruins relied on their strong defensive line early. Each time the Bears moved toward the BU box, Belmont responded with a strong presence that halted each attempt to set up a scoring opportunity. With just under 45 ticks left on the clock, junior Caitlin Lipari (Mendota Heights, Minn.) squared up at the top of the Mercer box and fired a shot that forced Mercer goalkeeper Jean Worts to leap to make the save.

Just after the start of the second overtime period, Mercer stepped up its play and went deep into Belmont territory. Johnson dribbled down the left side and earned a corner kick for the Bears. The potential game winning header came from right in front of the net and banged off the crossbar, helping to send the crowd into a frenzy. Another Bear corner kick with four minutes remaining was sent into the box but Crowley was able to punch it away from the net. Belmont turned up the heat in the last minute of action and took control of the ball. A corner kick fired by Sarah Brandt saw three Bruins head the ball around the perimeter of the box before senior Kari Lennon (Hoover, Ala.) booted the ball just wide of the net and forcing the game into a shootout as time expired.

Once the shootout began, the teams were even through the first three. The fourth shooter for BU, senior Jennifer Rix (Carmel, Ind.) hadher shot tipped out of the net, giving Mercer the 4-3 advantage. Heather Manting was able to notch the fifth goal of the shootout for the Bears advancing them to the finals of the A-Sun Tournament.

"I am very proud of this team and very proud of the season we put together," said Head Coach Lisa Howe. "Mercer was a good opponent tonight.

"I am very happy with the quality of soccer that we played in a semifinal game in a conference championship. I thought that we didn't let our nerves get the better of us. We went out and played quality soccer, especially in the first half and at the end of the second half.

"It was a hard way to go out but Mercer took all their kicks very well. I am just so very proud of this team and very proud of this season."

Mercer held the advantage in shots, 18-12, and the teams were even in corner kicks, with each recording four on the night. All-Freshman Team honoree Erica Carter (Spring, Texas) and Holt led the Bruins with three shots apiece.

Crowley recorded a whopping 12 saves, the most for a BU keeper in a single match since the 2002 season.

Belmont finishes the 2007 campaign with a record of 13-6-3, recording the most wins in a single season since 1998. The Bruins, who finished third in the league, went 6-4-1 in Atlantic Sun play, their best record since joining the conference.