CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's soccer team opens the Southern Conference portion of its 2023 schedule on Thursday as the Catamounts head to Samford to face the preseason league favorite in a match scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Central.
 
Thursday's match will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with free live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
 
The Catamounts (3-2-3) completed nonconference play on Sept. 14 with a 4-0 win at Presbyterian which gave longtime head coach Chad Miller his 200th career win. Sophomore Isabella DeMarco had a career-best three assists in the match with those three helpers ranking second for a single game in program history. Classmate Leanne Trudel earned her third shutout of the season in goal.
 
Samford (4-2-3) wrapped up its nonconference schedule with a 5-0 setback at Harvard. This season, the Bulldogs own a 4-0 victory over Oklahoma and earned scoreless draws against SEC-foes Auburn, Ole Miss, and No. 5 ranked Alabama. Goalkeeper Zoe Clevely leads the league with six shutouts.
 
WCU returns to the Catamount Athletic Complex on Sunday against chromatic rival Furman at 1 p.m. The match, which can be seen on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) against the Paladins begins a stretch of four straight home league matches.
 
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).