Cullowhee, N.C. – An NCAA Tournament bid and conference bragging rights are on the line as top-seeded Western Carolina hosts the 2024 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship match against No. 2 Samford for the second consecutive season. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
Attendance for the conference championship is FREE with Catamount fans encouraged to wear their white WCU gear to the match has the home squad looks to "White Out the Catamount Athletics Complex" against the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon.
Defending regular-season and tournament champion, this year's SoCon's preseason favorite enters the 2023 conference championship rematch red hot as the Catamounts rattled off a 9-0-1 record since the SoCon opener in September. The Bulldogs have been equally as impressive as the crew from Birmingham hasn't lost since the 2-0 decision against WCU in Cullowhee, going 8-0-2 in their 10 matches.
Path to the Championship:
The top two teams in the regular season, both Western Carolina and Samford earned the right to host the quarterfinal and semifinal matches.
WCU posted a strong 6-1 victory in the quarterfinals over No. 8 Wofford, exploding for five goals inside the first 14 minutes of play. The Catamounts then battled the fifth-seeded Chattanooga Mocs to a 2-0 decision in the semifinals for their conference-record 14th shutout of the season.
The Bulldog's path to the championship match was much more dramatic as Samford relied on late-game heroics in both their quarter and semifinal matchups to advance. Trailing 1-0 in the 80th minute of the opener with No. 7 UNC Greensboro, the Bulldogs evened the match at 1-all in the 85th minute before taking a 2-1 lead with seconds to go in the 90th minute. Then, Samantha De Luca lit up the cage for the Bulldogs in the 88th minute against the Paladins to break the 0-0 draw and send Samford to the title tilt.
Sunday's Championship Match-Up
#1 Western Carolina (15-2-3, 8-0-1 SoCon) vs #2 Samford (11-6-3, 6-1-2)
Cullowhee, N.C. | 2 p.m. | Catamount Athletic Complex
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/nvt4xhvs
Watch (ESPN+): https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a3827025-ffeb-41dc-afb8-56183b130cf5?om-navmethod=espn%3Aglobalsearch%3Aresults
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Bulldogs will face off for the 21st time in program history with the Purple and Gold trailing 5-14-1 all-time against Samford. WCU is currently on a three-match run in the series, posting shutout victories in the 2023 regular-season meeting in Birmingham (1-0); the 2023 championship matchup (1-0); and this season's regular-season battle in Cullowhee (2-0). The win in 2023 snapped a seven-game run for Samford in the series. While the Bulldogs own a lead in the series, the individual matches have been competitive throughout, with 15 of the 20 matches being one-goal decisions.
Players to Watch:
Recently named a Top-Drawer Soccer Player of the Week, WCU's Naya Marcil has left her mark on the 2024 SoCon Tournament already. The senior recorded the game-opening goals against both Wofford and Chattanooga, recording a brace and an assist in only 14 minutes of action against the Terriers.
Marcil went 3-for-3 in the two tournament games, posting three goals and an assist so far for the Purple and Gold. The Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec native notched the championship-winning goal over the Bulldogs last season while Milla Syska fired the game-winning shot in the regular-season meeting this year. Syska and Marcil are only the second Catamount pairing to record 10+ goals in the same season and the first to do so since 2000 when WCU Hall of Famers Jordan Howell and Lauren Bramlett posted 14 and 10 respectively.
Leanne Trudel and the Catamount defense look for their 15th shutout of the season after earning a conference-record 14th shutout against Chattanooga. In six career SoCon tournament games, Trudel has only allowed three goals, recording 16 saves in that span. Abbie Wise, Becca Campbell, Mary Mueth, Samantha Whitaker, and Maddie Lopez have all recorded significant action on the Catamount backline and will look to keep Trudel clean in the championship.
Bulldogs Samantha De Luca, Maison Wells, and Layton Glisson all answered when their number was called, recording the three twilight goals for Samford in their two conference tournament games this season. Outside of those three, Whitaker Buchanan recorded three shots across their tournament showing. Brooklyn Miller led the Bulldogs in scoring opportunities during the regular season meeting, putting two shots on frame.
Redshirt freshman Peyton Hull has earned her stripes between the pipes this season for the Bulldogs, taking over as the team's goalkeeper in conference play. Hull has earned nine saves in Samford's two SoCon tournament battles and collected four against the Catamounts her last time in Cullowhee.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Sunday's winner earns the Southern Conference tournament championship and subsequent automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament this season. A selection show to announce seeding and first-round matchups is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Monday. Additional details will be made following the game.
