Chattanooga, Tenn. – Sophie Burchfield scored Western Carolina's lone goal in the 74' as the Catamounts polished off an undefeated conference regular season with a 1-0 road win over the Chattanooga Mocs at Finley Stadium. Goalkeeper Leanne Trudel denied a season-high seven shots on frame for the second time this year as WCU ended the schedule with her eleventh solo shutout of the campaign.  

The win secured the first-ever undefeated conference season for the Catamounts, who finished the schedule with an 8-0-1 record against Southern Conference foes. The Purple and Gold have outscored conference opponents 23-1 this season, going 3-0-1 at home and 5-0-0 on the road. The 25 points earned in conference play are the second most in a season for the Catamounts and behind only the 2008 team's total of 27.  

Turning to the depth and giving offensive standouts like Isabella DeMarco, Milla Syska, and Naya Marcil a little more rest entering postseason play this week, the Catamounts and Mocs were relatively even in the box scores. Both teams hit double-digit shots in the match (WCU 11 – UTC 10), though the home team put seven shots on goal in comparison to WCU's five.  

Even in limited minutes, Isabella DeMarco led WCU in shots with three and tied for the team lead in shots on goal with Abbie Wise with two. Sophie Burchfield was the only Catamount to light up the cage with her third of the season and her first game-winning goal this year.  

Only three Catamounts saw the pitch for the full 90 minutes in the shutout victory as Trudel went the distance between the pipes while Becca Campbell and Abbie Wise played full-time in the regular season finale. The shutout win was the 13th clean sheet of the year for the Catamounts, tying the SoCon record for shutouts in a season. 

Catamount Notables: 

·The Catamounts posted an 8-0-1 record in Southern Conference play, the first undefeated conference record for the Catamounts in program history. The eight conference wins are the second most in a single season for WCU, behind only the 2008 team's total of nine (The Southern Conference had 12 member institutions in 2008, the conference has 10 teams now);

·WCU's 13-2-3 (.806) record in the regular season is the 18th best in terms of winning percentage in the NCAA. Their 8-0-1 (.944) record in conference play is currently the fourth best mark in the nation;  

·Sophie Burchfield's goal in the 74' minute secured the 13th win of the season for the Catamounts. WCU has 13 wins in both of the last two seasons;

·Seven Catamounts have recorded a game-winning goal this season with Milla Syska (four), Isabella DeMarco (three), and Naya Marcil (two) all recording more than one.;

·The win over Chattanooga gives WCU back-to-back wins over the Mocs for the first time since a four-game streak in 2012-2015;

·Leanne Trudel bookends the 2024 campaign with seven save games. The junior keeper denied seven goals in the season opener against Florida and tallied the same total against Chattanooga.  

Up Next for the Catamounts: 

Earning the SoCon's top seed, Western Carolina prepares for the 2024 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship, which begins this week. First-round matches are scheduled for Tues., Oct. 29 as No. 9 seed VMI visits No. 8 seed Wofford with the winner advancing to Cullowhee. No. 10 The Citadel travels to No. 7 UNCG for the right to advance into quarterfinal play in Birmingham, Ala.

As the No. 1 seed, the Catamounts will have home-field advantage and host each match in which they play. WCU's quarterfinal opponent will be  the winner of the Wofford/VMI first round match.

Second-seeded Samford hosts the winner of UNCG/The Citadel's first round game in Birmingham.

Friday's schedule in Cullowhee includes No. 4 Mercer facing No. 5 Chattanooga at 4 p.m., followed by top-seed Western Carolina playing the nightcap at 7 p.m. On the other side of the bracket, second-seeded Samford battles the winner of UNCG/The Citadel at 5 pm ET / 4 pm ET, followed by No. 3 Furman against No. 6 ETSU at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT.