By: Steven Grandy, Director of Media Relations
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina women's soccer head coach
Chad Miller today announced the 2023 schedule that features home contests against in-state rivals Appalachian State and East Carolina along with a road contest against ACC member Clemson.
The Catamounts play 18 regular season matches including nine home dates at the Catamount Athletic Complex with a pair of home exhibition matches in early August. The season culminates with the Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championships between October 24 through November 4.
"We are excited as we embark on another season here at WCU," said Miller. "Our goal as a group is to continue to build upon the success of the past few seasons and push to contend in the SoCon for a championship. I like our group and feel we have a great mix of veterans and young players for the 2023 campaign. I also believe our leadership core is prepared and up for the challenges that lie ahead."
WCU's schedule commences with home exhibition contests Marshall on August 5 and Davidson on August 8. The 2023 season opens on the road at mountain-rival UNC Asheville on Thurs., Aug. 17, with the home opener coming against Queens University of Charlotte on Sunday, Aug. 20. The Catamounts have consecutive road contests against Winthrop on Aug. 23 and UT Martin on Aug. 27 before closing out the month at home against Georgia State on Aug. 31.
September opens with a Sunday evening contest at Clemson on Sept. 3 before the Catamounts welcome former SoCon archrival Appalachian State to Cullowhee on Thursday, Sept. 7, followed by a home contest against directional foe East Carolina on Sunday, Sept. 10. A trip to Presbyterian on Thursday, Sept. 14 closes out the 2023 nonconference schedule.
The Catamounts open Southern Conference play at reigning league champion Samford on Thursday, Sept. 21, before returning home for four straight home conference matches against Furman (Sunday, Sept. 24), UNCG (Thursday, Sept. 28), Wofford (Sunday, Oct. 1), and Chattanooga (Thursday, Oct. 5). Following road contests at Mercer on Sunday, Oct. 8 and The Citadel on Thursday, Oct. 12, the Catamounts conclude the home portion of the regular season against VMI on Sunday, Oct. 15. The regular season final is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 22 at ETSU.
"The SoCon will continue to be a very challenging and competitive league this fall. It requires you to be your best every time out and every point matters along the way," said Miller. "There are some great coaches and players in this league, and we will be tested every weekend for sure. I like our out-of-conference schedule with a mix of different styles of play and some tough road opponents that should prepare us for conference play. As a staff, we look forward to the journey with our group."
The 2023 SoCon Tournament begins on Tuesday, Oct. 24 with the first round followed by the quarterfinals on Friday, Oct. 27, and semifinals on Sunday, Oct. 29, hosted by the top two seeded teams. The championship is slated for Saturday, Nov. 4. The championship match will be held at the highest remaining seed with the quarterfinals and semifinals hosted by the top two seeds.
Both promotional and broadcast schedules will be announced in the coming weeks with most home matches slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
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).
