Cullowhee, N.C. – Fall colors have yet to fully burst onto the scene across Western North Carolina entering the first weekend of October. On Sunday, the pitch at the Catamount Athletics Complex will look more like a punk-rock palette than the subdued hues of autumn as red-hot Western Carolina women's soccer returns home for their penultimate home match of the season.

The first-place Catamounts host The Citadel Bulldogs at 2 p.m. in the squad's annual "Kick Cancer, Wear Pink" game. Sunday marks the first of two home matches in Breast Cancer Awareness Month for WCU. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online through CatamountSports.com.

Western Carolina's purple will be joined by the more spring-like sprouts of pink and mixed with the tones of infantry blue and white in a cascade of color. Following the key league tilt, another color seemingly more suited for autumn will be on display and added to the color run as the 2023 Southern Conference champion Catamount women's soccer team will be presented their championship rings in a ceremony that was originally scheduled for the large stage at Whitmire Stadium before the university announced no spectators.

Catamount Athletics is arranging to stream the post-match celebratory moment through the department's official Facebook page (FB.com/catamountsports) and share through the Catamount soccer page. 

The Catamounts have seared through the varying stages of heat colors to enter Sunday white-hot, riding an eight-match shutout streak while posting a record of 7-0-1 in that span. WCU most recently exploded for five goals in downing the Keydets on post in Lexington, Va., on Thursday. The weekend opposition in the 'whee comes in the form of The Citadel, which remains the only winless team in the SoCon, 0-4 through their first four conference contests. The Cadets did have a strong 4-2-2 nonconference record to begin the season.  

Sunday's Match-up: 

Western Carolina (8-2-2, 3-0-0 SoCon) vs The Citadel (4-6-2, 0-4-0 SoCon) 

Cullowhee, N.C. | 2:00 P.M. | Catamount Athletic Complex 

Live stats: https://tinyurl.com/nvt4xhvs 

Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/yc4efjwk 

2023 Records:  

Western Carolina (13-5-3, 7-2-0 SoCon) 

The Citadel (3-9-6, 0-7-2 SoCon) 

Around the Conference: 

#1 Western Carolina vs #10 The Citadel | 2:00 p.m. | 10/6/24 

#2 Samford vs #5 Furman | 2:00 p.m. | 10/6/24 

#3 UNCG vs #7 Wofford | 2:00 p.m. | 10/6/24 

#4 Mercer vs #8 VMI | 2:00 p.m. | 10/6/24 

#6 ETSU at #9 Chattanooga | 5:00 p.m. | 10/6/24 

Quick Cuts: 

The Catamounts and Bulldogs are set to battle for the 24th time in a series where WCU holds a dominant, 20-1-2 edge. The Purple and Gold are currently on a 12-0-1 run in the series since their last loss to The Citadel in 2010. Goals by Becca Campbell, Abbie Lainhart, and Alexis DeMarco secured a 3-0 victory in the lone meeting last year, which was the 10th Catamount victory in Charleston in the series.  

The two teams have seen six common foes this season with WCU posting an unblemished 6-0-0 record in those matchups (W 6-1 vs UNC Asheville, W 4-0 vs Winthrop, W 4-0 vs Gardner-Webb, W 1-0 vs Presbyterian, W 5-0 vs VMI, W 2-0 vs Samford). The Citadel went 2-3-1 in the same stretch, scratching out a pair of wins against UNC Asheville and Winthrop to open the season before drawing with Gardner-Webb in a 1-1 contest in Boiling Springs. They also faced Presbyterian, VMI, and Samford, falling 3-0, 2-1, and 1-0 in those contests respectively.  

Players to Watch: 

In a world that is mesmerized by the glitz and glamor of offense, Thursday's thrilling 5-0 offensive display put forth by the Catamounts against VMI will receive more attention. However, the Purple and Gold backline put forth an equally dominant effort against the Keydets without senior captain Becca Campbell.

The Catamount quintet of Abbie Wise, Mary Mueth, Samantha Whitaker, Maddie Lopez, and Rylie Niemeyer silenced the VMI strikers, conceding only four shots (two on goal) in the road battle. Joining Samantha Vibberts as one of only two freshmen to see the pitch in nine games this season, Niemeyer recorded 26 minutes of relief effort in the defensive masterclass.  

Offensively, the dominant duo of Isabella DeMarco and Naya Marcil once again filled the stat sheet, posting three points apiece and assisting on each other's goals. Milla Syska holds the team lead in overall points this season with 16 thanks to her eight goals, but Marcil leads the Catamounts with five points (two goals, one assist) in conference matches.

Thanks to a dominant 69-second span against the Keydets, Abbie Lainhart is tied with Syska for the second-most points in conference play at four. Isabella DeMarco and Kirsten Hahn are tied for the third-most points with three, though DeMarco recorded all of her points in the Thursday win.  

The Citadel is led statistically by transfer Ariana Paez, who has 12 points on the season with four goals and four assists. But Paez has not seen the pitch since the Bulldog's 5-1 loss at Stetson. In her stead, Chloe Washington and Elisa Fuentes combined for 17 points, recording seven goals and three assists so far this season.  

Defensively, both Grace Laws and Zoe Santos have seen their fair share of time between the posts for the Bulldogs. The two have combined for 54 saves this season, though Santos most recently played the full 90 against Samford.  

Up Next for the Catamounts: 

The change of plans portion of the 2024 tour begins this week as Western Carolina will face the Wofford Terriers in Spartanburg on Sunday, Oct. 13 in a match that was bumped two days from its original home of Oct. 11. The Catamounts then close out the home slate against mountain-rival ETSU on Oct. 17. The annual blackout game is set to begin at 7:00 p.m.