Cullowhee, N.C. – Top-seeded Western Carolina women's soccer returns to action in the 2024 Southern Conference Championship semifinals on Sunday afternoon, hosting the fifth-seeded Chattanooga Mocs at the Catamount Athletic Complex with a berth in the league championship bout on the line. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. and admission is free.
WCU faces UTC for the second time in its last five matches after ending the unbeaten regular-season with a 1-0 triumph on the road at Finley Stadium / Davenport Field in the Scenic City.
The Catamounts come into the semifinal matchup after a dominant 6-1 victory over the eighth-seeded Wofford Terriers in the quarterfinal round on Friday night, unleashing a first-half barrage that included all six markers for the Catamounts – three score inside the first 12 minutes of the match. No. 5 Chattanooga gritted through a drizzly 99-minute overtime win over the Mercer Bears to open the tournament on Friday afternoon in Cullowhee.
The winner advances to face the winner of the other semifinal match between No. 2 seed Samford and third-seeded Furman hosted by the Bulldogs in Birmingham. The highest remaining seed will host the championship finale next weekend.
Sunday's Matchup:
#1 Western Carolina (14-2-3, 8-0-1 SoCon) vs #5 Chattanooga (7-8-3, 5-4-0 SoCon)
Cullowhee, N.C. | 2:00 p.m. |Catamount Athletic Complex
Live Stats: https://catamountsports.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/y8hfhnd5
Looking Around the Southern Conference:
Sunday, Nov. 3
#1 Western Carolina vs #5 Chattanooga | 2:00 p.m. in Cullowhee
#2 Samford vs #3 Furman | 2:00 p.m. ET in Birmingham, Ala.
Quick Cuts:
Western Carolina faces the Chattanooga Mocs for the 27th time in series history and the second time this season – but for the first time in postseason play. The last four meetings have been shutout efforts with the Catamounts coming out on the right side of the scoreboard in three of the four. The last meeting in Cullowhee resulted in a 2-0 Catamount victory, though the Mocs have taken two of the last four meetings overall at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
The Purple and Gold took a 1-0 win in Chattanooga last week to close out the regular season and secure its first undefeated season in SoCon play. Sophie Burchfield recorded the go-ahead goal in the 74' to give the Catamounts the edge in the matchup. WCU outshot the Mocs 11-10 but conceded more shots on goal for just the third time this season. The Catamounts were 0-1-1 when allowing more shots on frame than what they posted in the two prior matches, falling 2-0 to Florida in the season opener and drawing with East Carolina 0-0 in Greenville, N.C.
Players to Watch:
Naya Marcil and Sofia Goclowski led a dominant offensive showing against Wofford as the pair posted braces within the first 15 minutes of the match to put the Catamounts up 5-0. Marcil and Goclowski finished with a combined four goals on four shots in the match with Marcil chipping in an assist on Isabella DeMarco's marker in the 7'. DeMarco led the Catamount strikers with three shots, putting two on frame and notching a goal and an assist in the victory.
Sophie Burchfield and Samantha Vibberts combined for the game-winning goal against the Mocs in Chattanooga in the regular season finale. Vibberts recorded her second-career assist on Burchfield's game-winning goal and is coming off a strong performance in the SoCon quarterfinal match where the freshman notched the first penalty kick goal of her career. Burchfield tied with Isabella DeMarco for the team lead in shots against the Terriers and put one of her three shots on frame in the 6-1 win.
Leanne Trudel recorded a strong, five-save effort against the Terriers to open the SoCon tournament and tied a season-high seven saves in her last outing with the Mocs. The 12 saves earned in her last two games is one shy of her season-high total of 13, which she picked up in the first two matches of the season (seven vs Florida, six vs UNC Asheville).
EG Dillard and Caroline Richvalsky carried the Mocs in their thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over Mercer on Friday. The duo posted a goal and an assist apiece, combining for assists on Clarissa Salinas' golden goal in the 100' minute. Though she was held off the scoreboard in the meeting in Chattanooga, Richvalsky peppered the Catamount backline with shots throughout the day, taking five and putting four on target.
Goalkeeper Caroline Ekern has gone the distance for the Mocs in the 2024 campaign, playing every minute of every match. She's collected 59 saves, adding three to her total in the 3-2 victory over Mercer. The Mocs are 3-4-1 when Ekern makes 4 or more saves, falling to Alabama (0-4, 6 saves), Western Carolina (0-1, 5 saves), Tennessee (0-2, 5 saves), and Austin Peay (0-1, 4 saves).
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The winner of Sunday afternoon's match faces the winner of #2 Samford versus #3 Furman matchup for the conference championship and league's automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championships the following weekend. The highest remaining seed will host the title bout.
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).
