CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina and Georgia State battled to a 2-2 tie on Thursday night at the Catamount Athletic Complex, scoring all four goals in the match over the final 25 minutes of play with three goals coming in a frantic final 10 minutes.
 
Georgia State improved to 3-0-2 while Western Carolina is 2-1-2.
 
"I thought we had a really good game plan coming in and I thought we executed it really well," said WCU head coach Chad Miller. "Georgia State is a really good team. We felt like we wanted to try something we hadn't done yet which is kind of sit in a lower block and really played well in it."
 
"For me, I was really proud of the group in their response from Sunday; and then disappointed. When have a lead twice in the second half, especially with four minutes left and are not able to close it out, it's kind of disappointing. But, we scored two fantastic goals in the run of play. With some injuries we've had we had some new people in some spots. We've got to grow, keep composed, and close out games a little better than that."
 
 
Following a scoreless first half that saw that Catamounts hold a 5-3 edge in shots, WCU got on the board at the 67:16 mark in the second half. Sarah Engen played a ball into the box and Naya Marcil headed the ball into the net for her fourth goal of the season for a 1-0 lead.
 
Georgia State tied the match in the 80^th minute as Elena Diaz scored her first of two goals with an assist by Aaliyah Faddoul.
 
Alexis DeMarco and Isabella DeMarco teamed up to give the Catamounts a 2-1 lead with 4:45 to play. Running down the right sideline, Alexis played a ball to the middle of the field to Isabella, who beat Georgia State goalkeeper Ariana Anderson in a one-on-one battle for her team-best fifth goal of the season.
 
Diaz scored the final goal of the match with 3:50 remaining, firing a shot at the top of the box to the left side for her second goal for the night with an assist by Maddie Johnston.
 
Leanne Trudel made one save while Anderson and Panther starting keeper Jaddah Foos made one save each. Georgia State held an 11-9 margin in shots and had five corner kicks compared to one for the Catamounts.
 
Western Carolina makes the short trip to Clemson on Sunday evening, facing the 11^th-ranked Tigers at 6 p.m. in a match that will be streamed on ACC Network Extra with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
 
"It's a massive opportunity for the group when you play an ACC opponent that's in the top 10 in the country," said Miller. "It's a chance to really evaluate yourself and learn what you're about, where you're good, and where you're not good because they'll expose it. For me, it's just building upon the blocks that we've established and continue to try and get better. Our mentality, the way we approach that game, and the structure we have is the most important thing to me about Sunday. It's a great opportunity for our team."
 
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