Cullowhee, N.C. -- Western Carolina women's soccer begins a three-game road swing to close out the 2024 regular season opening with the UNC Greensboro Spartans on Sunday afternoon. Kick is set for 1 p.m. in Greensboro as the Catamounts look to end the season with momentum before the 2024 Southern Conference Championship.
Both teams are coming off scoreless draws as the Catamounts went the distance at home with ETSU and UNCG battled full time with The Citadel on the road. The Spartans have posted a 2-2-3 record at the UNCG Soccer Stadium this season, while the Purple & Gold are 3-2-1 on the road.
Sunday's Matchup
Western Carolina (10-2-3, 5-0-1 SoCon) at UNCG (4-6-5, 3-1-3 SoCon)
Greensboro, N.C. | 1:00 P.M. | UNCG Soccer Stadium
Click for Live Stats
Watch (ESPN+):
https://tinyurl.com/y3a5fhjz
Around the Conference:
#1 Western Carolina at #3 UNCG | 10/20/24 | 1:00 p.m.
#2 Samford at #7 ETSU | 10/20/24 | 2:00 p.m.
#4 Chattanooga at #8 VMI | 10/20/24 | 2:00 p.m.
#5 Furman vs #9 Wofford | 10/20/24 | 2:00 p.m.
#6 Mercer vs #10 The Citadel | 10/20/24 | 2:00 p.m.
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts come into Sunday's match on top of the conference standings following their draw at home with ETSU. The Catamounts are the only remaining undefeated team in conference play, going 5-0-1 so far this season. The two teams have seen six common opponents to date, though only one came in the nonconference slate. The Spartans fell to East Carolina 2-1 in Greenville, while the Catamounts battled to a 0-0 draw. Both teams faced VMI, ETSU, Wofford, Mercer, and The Citadel, with the Catamounts compiling a 4-0-1 record against those five teams, outscoring them 16-1. UNCG posted a 2-0-3 record against the same teams, outscoring them 11-5.
Sunday's matchup will be the 34th game in a lengthy series. The Catamounts trail 5-25-4 all-time to UNCG, but have an opportunity to post their first back-to-back wins against the Spartans in program history. Last year's meeting in Cullowhee saw the Catamounts erupt for four goals as
Isabella DeMarco recorded a brace, while
Naya Marcil and
Milla Syska scored a goal apiece in the 4-0 victory.
Players to Watch:
The Catamounts were held scoreless for the first time in seven matches against ETSU, but were able to claim a point in conference play thanks to the elite play of the Purple & Gold back line.
Becca Campbell,
Mary Mueth,
Samantha Whitaker, and
Abbie Wise all recorded 90 minutes in the draw, holding the Bucs to only six shots on the night and conceding a single shot on frame.
Offensively,
Sofia Goclowski has come into her own in the last two outings. The sophomore from Sharon, Mass., has recorded 10 shots in her last two matches. She recorded a brace against Wofford on four shots and rattled off six shots against ETSU.
The usual Catamount playmakers in
Naya Marcil,
Milla Syska, and
Isabella DeMarco will look to keep up the pressure as the minutes mount in the season. The trio have combined for 148 shots this season (76 on goal) though neither DeMarco nor Syska have recorded more than 800 minutes on the season. Marcil leads the offensive players in minutes played this season with 957 as the Catamounts' deep rotation hopes to keep fresh legs in play late in the campaign.
Similarly to ETSU, UNCG is not directly led by a single player as four Spartans have recorded at least three goals this season. Ava Kiss leads the team in total points, recording eight on three goals and two assists. She is closely followed by Merle Greulich, who has seven points on three goals and one assist.
Junior goalkeeper Emma Malone earned the lion's share of the work between the pipes this season, playing in 15 matches and starting 14 of them. She has 45 saves and has faced 133 shots this year, posting a .750 save percentage.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU finished the regular season on the road with a pair of matches, first making the trip to Greenville, S.C. to face the Furman Paladins in a pivotal SoCon match on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. The Catamounts then t travel to the Scenic City to take on the Chattanooga Mocs to close out the 2024 regular season campaign on Oct. 27. Kick for the Sunday afternoon finale is set for 2 p.m.
