CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina women's soccer looks for its fifth consecutive win on Thursday afternoon as the Catamounts travel to Charleston, S.C. to face The Citadel at 3 p.m. in Southern Conference action on Washington Light Infantry (WLI) Field.
Thursday's match will be streamed on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with free live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
WCU (8-3-3, 5-1 SoCon) used a pair of second-half goals in a 2-1 win at Mercer on Sunday afternoon. Trailing 1-0 following a second-minute tally by the Bears, freshman
Emma Soucy scored her first collegiate goal in the 70th minute to tie the match. In the 73rd minute,
Abbie Lainhart scored her second goal of the year to put WCU ahead. Lainhart's goal was her second game-winner of the year as she scored the lone tally in WCU's 1-0 win at Samford back on Sept. 21.
On Tuesday, junior
Naya Marcil repeated as the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week. In two matches last week, Marcil scored a goal and added two assists as the Catamounts earned a pair of victories. Marcil opened the week with the first goal of the match and added an assist in a 2-0 home victory over defending regular-season champion Chattanooga. On Sunday at Mercer, Marcil tied the WCU single-season record for assists with her ninth helper as she assisted
Emma Soucy's game-tying goal before the Catamounts emerged with a 2-1 victory.
The Citadel (3-6-5, 0-5-1 SoCon) dropped a 3-0 decision at Samford on Sunday. The Bulldogs are led offensively by Ariana Paez's 15 points. Paez and Grace Duncan have scored a team-leading three goals.
In last year's match against The Citadel, Charleston native
Isabella DeMarco recorded the fourth hat trick in program history with a three-goal performance in a 6-1 victory at WLI Field. The Catamounts are 19-1-2 all-time against the Bulldogs and have won the past two matches following a 1-1 tie during the 2020-21 season.
The Catamounts close out the home portion of the regular season on Sunday, welcoming VMI to the Catamount Athletics Complex for a Noon start. Sunday's match will also serve as Senior Day with seven players being honored prior to the match.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount women's soccer and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, @Catamountsoccer).
