Cullowhee, N.C. -- Western Carolina women's soccer hits the halfway mark in the 2024 Southern Conference slate as the Catamounts take on the Wofford Terriers in Spartanburg, S.C. on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. on Snyder Field.
The two teams were both involved in shutout matches their last time out, though the Terriers were on the wrong end of the scoreboard. The Catamounts most recently downed The Citadel 4-0 in the penultimate home game of the season, while Wofford fell to ETSU at home in a 3-0 decision.
Sunday's Match-up
Western Carolina (9-2-2, 4-0-0 SoCon) at Wofford (5-8-1, 1-4-0 SoCon)
Spartanburg, S.C. | 2:00 P.M. | Snyder Field
Live stats:
https://tinyurl.com/3ncj4v88
Watch (ESPN+):
https://tinyurl.com/3w64zahm
Around the Conference:
#2 Western Carolina at #8 Wofford | 10/13/24 | 2:00 P.M.
#3 Mercer at #4 UNC Greensboro | 10/13/24 | 2:00 P.M.
#6 Furman at #7 ETSU | 10/13/24 | 2:00 P.M.
Quick Cuts:
The gold accented conference foes are set to battle it out on the pitch for the 30th time in program history. WCU holds a strong 19-7-3 edge in the series and is currently on an 11-0-1 run since 2013. Since the 2005 season, the Purple and Gold are 16-2-3 against the Terriers, rattling off five wins in Spartanburg in that stretch.
The Catamounts and Terriers have seen five common opponents so far this season with three of those match-ups coming in the nonconference slate. Both teams took wins over UNC Asheville and Winthrop, though Wofford fell to Presbyterian in a high-scoring 3-2 match to open the season. Wofford has also seen The Citadel and Samford this season in the conference schedule, battling to a 4-3 win over The Citadel and falling 2-4 to Samford. WCU went 5-0 in those five matchups, scoring a total of 17 goals in those outings.
Players to Watch:
Facilitator
Naya Marcil is the reigning SoCon Offensive Player of the Week and remains a player to watch as the senior striker posted both game-winning goals against VMI and The Citadel. Both goals were scored under the 10-minute mark in the both matches with
Isabella DeMarco connecting with Marcil for the game-winners.
Milla Syska chipped in her first assist of the season on the game-winner against The Bulldogs. The Catamount triumvirate has combined for 18 points in SoCon play thanks to a combined seven goals and four assists.
WCU hasn't allowed a goal since August thanks in large part to incredible defensive performances from
Becca Campbell,
Abbie Wise,
Samantha Whitaker, and
Mary Mueth with
Rylie Niemeyer and
Maddie Lopez providing strong depth to the Catamount backline. Goalkeeper
Leanne Trudel recently collected her 18th career shutout – the third most in WCU program history – and will have an opportunity to tie the legendary Alesha Row for the second most shutouts at 19. Caitlin Williams continues to hold the record for most career shutouts at 28.
Wofford is led offensively by the dynamic duo of Ines Obradovac and Megan Childress. The two have combined for 32 of Wofford's 50 points on the season. The two veteran forwards have posted the lion's share of the Terrier's offensive production this season, knocking in 13 goals and 6 assists, with the next closest Terrier being Millie Murphy who has two goals and an assist.
Defensively, freshman goalkeeper Elizabeth Navola has dominated the time between the pipes and is the only Terrier to see SoCon action this season. The Davidson, N.C. product has a .779 save percentage across nine starts this season, tallying 53 saves in 855:00 minutes. However, the freshman has struggled in conference play with 3.00 goals against average and a .657 save percentage in Wofford's four conference outings to date.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The Purple and Gold return home for the final time in the 2024 season as they host Blue Ridge rival ETSU on Thursday night. The annual "Beat the Bucs Blackout" matchup will kick at 7 p.m. as the Catamounts try to close out their first undefeated home season at the Catamount Athletic Complex and the first undefeated home season since 2001.
