Cullowhee, N.C. -- The Western Carolina soccer team has an opportunity to continue its offensive momentum on Thursday as it travels to Charlotte in nonconference play against the Queens Royals. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Queens Sports Complex.
Thursday's Match-up:
Western Carolina (1-1-0, 0-0-0 SoCon) at Queens (1-1-0, 0-0-0 ASun)
Charlotte, N.C. | 7:00 P.M. | Queens Sports Complex
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/4msnvba3
Watch (Queens Sports Network): https://tinyurl.com/2p8m6pt2
2023 Records:
Western Carolina (13-5-3, 7-2-0 SoCon)
Queens (4-7-8, 2-3-6 ASun)
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Royals have a brief head-to-head history, meeting just once with the inaugural meeting coming last season in a 0-0 draw in WCU's home opener. While the two schools see each other for just the second time on Thursday night, head coach Chad Miller has been on the sidelines against the Royals a combined nine times. Miller's Pfeiffer squads were conference opponents with the Royals at the NCAA Division II level and he posted a 3-2-2 record against Queens during his time in the CVAC. He added another win to his total against Queens during his time as the skipper at Catawba.
Outside of last year's draw with the Royals, the Catamounts haven't faced competition from the ASUN conference often. The last matchup with an ASUN opponent came in 2021 when the Catamounts hosted the North Florida Ospreys. Meanwhile, the Royals played one Southern Conference opponent last year, earning a 1-0 win over the Wofford Terriers to open up their 2023 campaign.
Players to Watch:
Kirsten Hahn, the first SoCon Offensive Player of the Week and the fifth Catamount in school history to record a hat trick, is the top player to watch in Purple and Gold. Hahn is coming off a career performance against UNC Asheville, scoring three goals on four shots, all of which were on goal. Additionally, keep an eye on Naya Marcil, who scored her first goal and first assist of the season for the Catamounts against Asheville. As far as newcomers are concerned, Louisiana Lafayette transfer Mary Mueth has been a defensive stalwart for the Catamounts early in the season as the sophomore joins her backline-mates Becca Campbell and Leanne Trudel as the only three Catamounts to play all 180 minutes this season.
Hailey Pereira and Sejla Podzic recorded the first goals of the 2024 season for the Royals in their 2-0 win over South Carolina State. Pereira capitalized on a penalty kick in the 44th minute while Podzic added insurance in the 45th. Kelsey Jargstorf posted a clean sheet in the win, denying five would-be goals in the 2-0 victory.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina returns to the comfortable confines of the Catamount Athletic Complex to host the Longwood Lancers on Sunday at 1 p.m. WCU then has a week off before heading to Atlanta to challenge the Georgia State Panthers on Sept. 1 at 2 p.m.
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).
