CLARKSVILLE – In its 2019 regular-season home opener at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field, Austin Peay State University soccer dropped a hard-fought defensive battle to Mercer, 1-0.

The Governors came out aggressive early in the home opener, getting off seven shots in the first half. However, the Govs were unable to get one past the Bear's keeper, and after the first forty-five minutes, the score was still deadlocked at zero. Mercer got off to a quick start in the second half, putting a header into the back of the net in the 49th minute. The Govs were unable to close the gap, and dropped the home opener for the first time in four years. 

Kolarova Thoughts

Opening Remarks… "Tonight's game was a heart breaker. I thought we played really well and to concede a goal at the time we did, in the manner that we did was really tough."

On the offense… "We still need to work on creating more and finishing in the top third, but there are so many positives to take away from tonight. We did a great job of looking after the ball this week, we kept our composure and maintained good possession."

In conclusion… "We stayed organized defensively in two different systems and communicated positively. Overall we are all obviously disappointed in a loss, but we will continue to push, work hard, and aim to be better in the next one."

Full Recap

The Govs came out firing in the first half; the usual suspects of Morgan Drawdy and Ashley Whittaker each put a shot on goal to test Bear's keeper Jordyn Ebert early. Melody Fisher and Renee Semaan both added another shot on goal for the Governors in the first half, but the back of the net continued to elude Austin Peay. Mercer was also unable to score in the first half, unable to sneak a shot past senior Govs keeper Mary Parker Powell, who had two saves in the first half.

In the 49th minute, Mercer got a rebound off the crossbar, and was able to put a header on the back of the net after a battle for the ball in the penalty area. The Govs kept the aggressive attack going until the final whistle, but none of their three shots in the second half were able to beat the Mercer keeper, and the Governors fell by a score of 1-0.

Whittaker led the way for the Govs on the offensive end tonight, getting off a team-high three shots. Off the bench junior Gybson Roth and freshman Dagmar Voerman each had their first shot attempt of the year for the Governors.

Semaan continued her steady ways in the midfield for the Govs. After four games, Semaan has yet to leave the pitch, accruing a team leading 290 minutes so far this season.

The Governors take the rest of the weekend off, before heading to the Rocky Mountains later next week. On Thursday the Govs will travel to Boulder to take on the Buffaloes of Colorado. Then the Govs trek north to Greeley, Colorado, for a 12 p.m. Sept. 8 match against the Bears of Northern Colorado. The Govs next home action comes 12 p.m., Sept. 15 when Evansville comes to Morgan Brothers Soccer Field. For all your news and updates regarding Austin Peay soccer, follow along on Twitter (@AustinPeaySOCR).