Cullowhee, N.C. – Having secured the 2024 Southern Conference regular-season championship on Thursday night with its shutout victory over chromatic rival Furman, Western Carolina closes out its schedule on Sunday afternoon as the Catamounts visit the Chattanooga Mocs in the regular season finale. The Purple & Gold clinched their second-consecutive regular-season crown and look to post the program's first undefeated season in conference play with a decision – either a win or a draw – against the Mocs.
Sunday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (12-2-3, 7-0-1 SoCon) at Chattanooga (6-7-3, 5-3 SoCon)
Chattanooga, Tenn. | 2 p.m. | Finley, Stadium
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/pdfdw7xs
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/42rb6s2r
Looking Around the Southern Conference :
Sunday, Oct. 27
#1 Western Carolina at #3 Chattanooga, 2 p.m.
#2 Samford vs. #6 UNC Greensboro, 2 p.m.
#4 Furman at #10 The Citadel, 2 p.m.
#5 Mercer at #9 Wofford, 2 p.m.
#7 ETSU at #8 VMI, 2 p.m.
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Mocs meet for the 26th time since 1999 with WCU holding a 13-9-3 edge in the series, most recently earning a 2-0 win over Chattanooga in Cullowhee last season. Naya Marcil and Isabella DeMarco found the back of the net in the home victory. The Purple and Gold are 5-5-3 when facing the Mocs in Chattanooga.
The two teams have seen nine common opponents in the rest of the Southern Conference and also the Georgia State Panthers in nonconference play. The Catamounts blasted the Panthers in Atlanta for a 3-0 win while Chattanooga opened the season with a 2-2 draw with the Sun Belt foe.
Chattanooga started conference play with a 2-1 win over Wofford before hitting a three-game skid with losses to Samford, UNCG, and Mercer before rallying with a 2-0 win over ETSU. The win over the in-state rival jump started the Mocs' conference season as they have won four straight in SoCon play.
Players to Watch:
The Catamounts are expected to turn to their depth with both the regular season championship and home field advantage secured for the upcoming conference tournament. Eleven Catamounts have seen 800+ minutes of action on the pitch this season with seven hitting the 1,000 minute mark. Abbie Lainhart leads the rotation with 538 minutes of gametime this season and is followed by Kirsten Hahn, who has seen the field for 497 minutes.
Defensively, Leanne Trudel has posted 10 solo shutouts this season and has combined with Olivia Mickey for a total of 12. The redshirt sophomore transfer from UAB has appeared in three games this season, totaling 41 minutes between the pipes.
Chattanooga is led offensively by Caroline Richvalsky who has earned six goals and two assists this season. Zoey Mize leads the team in total points during conference play, rattling off two goals and three assists for seven points on only seven shots on goal.
Carolina Ekern is the only goalkeeper Chattanooga has fielded as the last line of defense to date this season. The junior from Knoxville, Tenn. has denied 51 shots this season, posting a .729 save percentage. In conference play, her save percentage inflates to a .783 mark and the third best goals against average in the conference at .75.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina enters its post-season slate with the 2024 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship scheduled to start Oct. 29 with the opening-round match. The winner of that match advances to the eight-team portion of the tournament that commences on Friday, Nov. 1, on the campus of the top two seeds from the regular season. After Sunday's match, the Catamounts await Sunday's results and the play-in games before their quarterfinal matchup is determined.
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).
