Cullowhee, N.C. -- Sunday afternoon's matchup at the Catamount Athletic Complex will see the Western Carolina women's soccer team honor a class of eight current seniors before they take on the Winthrop Eagles at 2:00 p.m.
Both teams are coming into Sunday's match after picking up wins over the other's conference, with the Catamounts most recently posting a 1-0 win over Presbyterian and the Eagles taking a 2-0 win over the VMI Keydets in Rock Hill, S.C. The Purple and Gold are riding a five-game unbeaten streak, going 3-0-2 in that span and haven't allowed a goal in 360 minutes of play. Winthrop comes into the match with a .500 record, going 3-3-0 through their first six. All three of Winthrop's wins this season have been in shutout fashion.
Sunday's Match-Up
Western Carolina (4-2-2, 0-0-0 SoCon) vs Winthrop (3-3-0, 0-0-0 Big South)
Cullowhee, N.C. | 2:00 p.m. | Catamount Athletic Complex
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/nvt4xhvs
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/y8hfhnd5
2023 Records:
Western Carolina (13-5-3, 7-2-0 SoCon)
Winthrop (4-8-2, 1-6-1 Big South)
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Eagles are set to share the pitch for only the sixth time in program history, with WCU leading the series 5-0-1. The most recent outing saw the Catamounts take a 5-1 win over Winthrop in Rock Hill last season, with
Isabella DeMarco recording a hat trick in the effort. Before last year's series revival, the two teams hadn't played since 2016, when the Catamounts took a 3-1 win in Rock Hill.
WCU has seen plenty of Big South foes this season, going 3-0-1 against the conference in their four outings so far with a 6-1 win over UNC Asheville, a 2-2 draw with Longwood, a 4-0 win over Gardner-Webb, and most recently a 1-0 win over Presbyterian. The Catamounts are the fourth SoCon opponent for Winthrop this season, who has a 1-2 record against the conference. The Eagles opened their season with a 2-0 loss to The Citadel and added a 2-1 loss to Wofford and a 2-0 win over VMI to their record.
Players to Watch:
The Catamounts are set to honor nine seniors Sunday afternoon, eight of which are members of the 2024 squad. The Catamount class of '24 has compiled 33 wins during their time in Cullowhee, scoring 51 goals and 49 assists over the course of 21,700 minutes of in-game action. As a result, keep an eye on any of the following seniors whenever they are on the pitch: #3
Becca Campbell, #4
Kirsten Hahn, #7
Naya Marcil, #9
Maggie Lloyd, #17
Abbie Lainhart, #19
Alexis DeMarco. #22
Sophie Burchfield, and #26
Christina Layton. The Purple and Gold are also set to honor
Sarah Engen, a critical defender on last year's SoCon championship squad.
Outside of the senior Catamounts,
Milla Syska and
Isabella DeMarco continue to produce offensively, with Syska recording the game-winning goal against Presbyterian last Thursday. DeMarco leads the conference in shots and is second in shots on goal but has only lit up the cage twice this season. The junior striker is due to add to her season total, especially if she continues to fire at her 4.6 shots per game, 2.6 sog per game rate.
Winthrop is led offensively by Sophia Balliet, who has recorded two goals on the season so far. However, the right foot of Monssi Avila-Gutierrez most recently gave the Eagles the win over VMI as she and Cameron Celce recorded the two goals in their 2-0 home victory. Mia Vrataric has recorded all 630 minutes between the pipes for Winthrop, picking up 23 saves and three shutouts so far this season.
Up Next for The Catamounts
The Purple and Gold will look to open conference play on the right foot next Thursday, September 19th, in a rematch of last year's SoCon Championship when the Samford Bulldogs make the trip to Cullowhee. The first 300 WCU students in attendance at Thursday night's conference opener will receive a 2023 Southern Conference Champions scarf, courtesy of The Everson.
