MACON, Ga. --- The Mercer Bears scored three second half goals to knock the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's soccer team out of the Southern Conference Tournament Sunday afternoon in Macon, Ga., by a 3-0 margin.
 
"It's a disappointing end to our season," Chattanooga head coach Gavin McKinney said. "We are, however, proud of the work this group put in throughout the fall."
 
The Mocs controlled the ball throughout most of the first half with a 5-2 shots advantage to go along with eight corner kicks to the Bears' one through 45 minutes of play. The second half saw a turn in the action with Mercer outshooting UTC 8-4 with a 6-2 shots on goal lead and a 5-1 difference in corners.
 
Mercer's first goal came at the 55:31 mark of the match with a shot from Valeria Bermeo from the right corner of the box into the top center of the net. The second goal didn't take long with Jamilah Tejan heading a pass to Megan Delmonico who sent it to Maddie Clark to give Mercer a 2-0 lead in the 63^rd minute.
 
The Bears' final score came off a free kick after a Chattanooga foul. The Mocs defender jumped up to head the ball away, but instead it deflected into the net past freshman keeper Melia Correa (Clarksville, Tenn.).
 
Mercer edged UTC 10-9 on shots with junior Ellie Myrick (Knoxville, Tenn.) leading the Mocs with two. Seven others hit the ball toward the goal with junior Peyton McCollum (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) and senior Samantha Hogan (Hendersonville, Tenn.) each getting one on goal.
 
Correa had two saves in the match through 72 minutes and 33 seconds of the match. She was relieved by senior Katie Emig () for the final 17:27 and closed out her season making one save and no goals against.
 
Mercer (10-8-1) heads to Johnson City, Tenn., next weekend for the Southern Conference semifinal match against host ETSU at 7:30. The Mocs close out the year at 6-11-2. That is the most wins for UTC since 2011 and the best finish in conference play since 2005.
 
"As a program, we took a step forward," McKinney said. "We believe the future is bright and we will continue to move forward."
 
Scoring Summary
No.     Time          Team     Goal scorer                         Assist
1.        55:31         MER       Valeria Bermeo (3)          Jamilah Tejan
2.        62:28         MER       Maddie Clark (13)            Jamilah Tejan
Megan Delmonico
3.        64:53         MER       OWN GOAL (1)                  (unassisted)