MACON, Ga. – The Citadel women's soccer team's season came to an end Wednesday night as seventh-seeded Mercer defeated the No. 10 seed Bulldogs 3-0 in a Southern Conference Championship First Round game at Bear Field.

Mercer will now take on second-seeded Samford in a quarterfinal match in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 28.

The Bears (10-9-1) netted all three goals in the opening stanza spurred by Ally Fordham's goal in the first minute. Karina Castillo added the second goal of the evening in the 38^th minute and Logan Culver capped off the scoring with a goal in the closing seconds of the opening half.

The Bears out-shot the Bulldogs (5-13) 13-3 in the first half, but the Bulldogs came out in the second period and showed plenty of fight, out-shooting Mercer 13-6 and keeping pressure on the Bears' defense for the final 45 minutes. The increased pressure in the second stanza produced several good looks inside the box for The Citadel, but Mercer's keeper and defense bent without breaking.

In goal, Kaeley Johnston (L, 4-4) was the keeper of record for the Bulldogs while Jordyn Ebert (W, 8-7-1) earned the clean sheet for the Bears.

For more information and score updates on The Citadel soccer team, follow @CitadelWSoccer on Twitter or visit CitadelSports.com.