CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's soccer team kicks off the 2023 season on Thursday as the Catamounts battle mountain rival UNC Asheville at 6 p.m. at the Greenwood Soccer Field.
The match will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with free live stats available via catamountsports.com.
"As a group, we are looking forward to opening up our 2023 season on Thursday," said WCU head coach
Chad Miller. "As coaches, we feel like the group has really come together the past couple of weeks and showed a lot of growth and team unity. This is a credit to our leadership and upperclassmen. We understand the process and have areas we will need to grow and get better along the way, but I feel like the team has a good base to build upon throughout the fall. So we are looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead and are excited about the season."
The Catamounts hosted a pair of exhibition matches in Cullowhee, defeating Marshall 2-1 on Aug. 5 and Davidson 4-0 on Aug. 8. WCU was picked to finish in fifth place in the Southern Conference preseason coaches poll with sophomore
Isabella DeMarco earning a spot on the preseason all-conference team. DeMarco was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection and an All-Freshman Team honoree in 2022 after she scored four goals and tallied four assists.
UNC Asheville was selected to finish seventh in the Big South preseason coaches poll. Junior Anna Doane was named to the Big South preseason All-Conference Team after earning second team honors last season. In 2022, the Bulldogs compiled a 4-10-3 seasonal record.
Thursday's match is the 18th all-time meeting between the schools and the first time that the mountain rivals face each other to open a season. WCU leads the all-time series 13-2-3 with wins the past four contests including a 3-1 triumph in Asheville last season.
WCU opens the home portion of its schedule on Sunday, welcoming Queens at 1 p.m. with the match streamed on ESPN+ and live stats also available.
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).
