CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Coming off back-to-back shutout victories through both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, top-seeded Western Carolina women's soccer is set to host the 2023 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship on Sunday afternoon when the Catamounts host defending champion and third-seeded Samford at the on-campus Catamount Athletics Complex. Kickoff of the championship match is set for 2 p.m., and will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with free live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
Matchup: #3 Samford (12-3-5, 6-1-2 SoCon) vs #1 Western Carolina (12-4-3, 7-2 SoCon)
Date: Sunday, Nov. 5
Time: 2 p.m.
Site: Catamount Athletics Complex (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
Twitter: @Catamountsoccer
WCU freshman Mackenzie Megill connected on a header in the 78th minute of the last Sunday's semifinal that allowed the Catamounts to advance past No. 4 seed Furman into the finals. Samford used a goal in both halves to take out No. 2 seed ETSU, who hosted the other quarter and semifinal matches last weekend to set up Sunday's title matchup.
In the first two matches of the SoCon Championship, Megill has tallied a goal and an assist to lead the offense for WCU as goals have also been scored by Ava Robitaille, Sophie Burchfield, Alexis DeMarco, and Kirsten Hahn in the two wins over No. 8 seed Wofford and Furman. Leanne Trudel, an all-conference honoree, has earned a pair of wins with six saves thus far in the postseason for Western Carolina in goal.
All told in the two shutout wins, WCU has had goals from five different individuals and an assist recorded by four different players, with Megill the lone player in the tournament to pick up one of each.
WCU sophomore forward Isabella Demarco was named the 2023 SoCon Women's Soccer Player of the Year, headlining seven Catamounts named to the All-SoCon team voted on by the league's head coaches at the end of the regular season. Demarco, who was also named first-team All-SoCon, is the first Catamount women's soccer player to collect the league's top player honor since the program was founded back in 1999. Demarco was joined on the top honorary squad by junior midfielder Naya Marcil and senior defender Becca Campbell. Sophomore defender Sarah Engen and second-year goalkeeper Leanne Trudel both landed on the second-team all-conference, with freshmen Sophia Goclowski and Emma Soucy both collecting SoCon All-Freshman plaudits. Additionally, head coach Chad Miller was selected as the SoCon Coach of the Year, becoming just the second WCU skipper to earn the honor.
Samford used a 2-0 decision against ETSU on Sunday afternoon to eliminate the host Bucs from the tournament and advance to Sunday's championship. The Bulldogs enter the final having not suffered defeat in their last 10 matches, earning eight wins and a pair of ties. The previous time Samford didn't record a point in a match was on Sept. 21, when the Catamounts defeated the Bulldogs in Birmingham 1-0 to open SoCon play. It was WCU's first-ever win over the Bulldogs on Birmingham, Ala.
Mary Raymond and Kyla Reynolds lead Samford with six goals apiece, as each have found the back of the net once during the SoCon tournament thus far. Layla Brown has a team-high six assists, including one in the championship. Zoe Clevely leads the Bulldogs in goal with 12 wins, including eight solo shutouts, with one coming in the semifinals against ETSU.
Western Carolina plays in its fourth SoCon Championship on Sunday, looking to win its first title since 2008 when WCU defeated UNCG to claim the crown. The Catamounts also won the 2005 title from Furman in Greenville. WCU is also looking to stop the Bulldogs from claiming their third straight tournament championship and fourth in the last five years. Samford has played in the last five championship games, winning three of the last four. Playing in its Western Carolina 20th SoCon Women's Soccer Championship all-time, the Catamounts hold a 12-16-3 record all-time in the tournament including twice hoisting the trophy in the end.
The Catamounts and Bulldogs have met twice in the conference tournament with both teams claiming a victory. WCU downed Samford during the 2008 semifinals and the Bulldogs earned a first-round win during the 2011 tournament. Sunday's match is the 19th meeting in the head-to-head series between Catamounts and Bulldogs, with Samford holding a 14-3-1 record. WCU snapped a seven-match win streak for the Bulldogs with its 1-0 win back to open SoCon play.
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).
