Cullowhee, N.C. – Inclement weather stemming from Hurricane Helene's approach has pushed Western Carolina's critical Southern Conference matchup with chromatic rival Furman to Saturday night as the current top two teams in the league are set to battle it out in Greenville, S.C. Kick for the postponed matchup is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium.
The two squads come into the delayed match with lengthy undefeated streaks with the Paladins going 4-0-2 in their last six outings, while the Catamounts are 6-0-2 in their last eight. Both teams have unblemished conference records in the early portion of the SoCon slate, though the Catamounts are the only ones to pick up a pair of wins. Furman posted a draw in its SoCon opener with Mercer in a 1-1 bout but most recently downed VMI 5-1.
Saturday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (7-2-2, 2-0-0 SoCon) at Furman (5-4-2, 1-0-1 SoCon)
Greenville, S.C. | 7:00 p.m. | Stone Stadium
Live stats: https://tinyurl.com/4u9wzhe8
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/y8hfhnd5
2023 Records:
Western Carolina (13-5-3, 7-2-0 SoCon)
Furman (7-5-7, 3-1-5 SoCon)
Around the Conference:
#1 Western Carolina at #2 Furman | 7:00 p.m. | 9/28/2024
#3 ETSU vs #8 Mercer | 2:00 p.m. | 9/28/2024
#4 UNCG at #7 Chattanooga | 1:00 p.m. | 9/29/2024
#5 Wofford at #6 Samford | 7:00 p.m. | 9/27/2024
#9 VMI at #10 The Citadel | 3:00 p.m. | 9/26/2024
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Paladins are set to share the pitch for the 34th time in program history. WCU trails in the all-time series 9-33-1 but snapped a three-game skid in the series in the SoCon semifinals last season with a 1-0 win. Furman has been strong against SoCon opponents at home in recent years with its last home conference loss coming at the hands of the Samford Bulldogs back in 2022. The Catamounts look to pick up their fifth win over Furman at Stone Stadium.
The two teams have seen three common opponents this season in Presbyterian, UNC Asheville, and SoCon foe Mercer. The Paladins went 1-1-1 in those three matchups, dropping their home opener to Presbyterian 2-1, battling to a 2-1 win over UNCA, and drawing 1-1 with Mercer in Macon to open SoCon play. The Catamounts went 3-0 in those matchups, outscoring the opposition 8-1 with a 6-1 win over UNC Asheville and a pair of 1-0 wins over PC and the Bears.
Players to Watch:
Milla Syska continues to fire on all cylinders as the Catamounts enter a critical stretch of conference play. The junior striker from Charlotte posted both game-winning goals against Samford and Mercer, adding to her team leading total of eight goals. Syska is second in the SoCon in goals but leads the conference among goal scorers who haven't attempted a penalty kick this season. She was assisted on the goal against Samford by Alexis DeMarco and was assisted by Samantha Whitaker against Mercer. The only other Catamount to record a goal in the initial conference stretch, Naya Marcil capitalized on a penalty kick in the 59th minute against Samford to put the Purple and Gold up 2-0.
Defensively, the Catamounts field the reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week between the pipes as goalkeeper Leanne Trudel collected her sixth and seventh shutout wins of the season. A product of Longueuil, Quebec, Trudel has recorded 37 saves this season, notching seven of them in the two SoCon matchups. The Catamount backline consisting of Becca Campbell, Abbie Wise, Mary Mueth, and Samantha Whitaker have helped keep Trudel clean this season, allowing fewer than 10 shots per game and only shots on goal per game.
Furman has a lineup with the ability to attack from a multitude of directions as five Paladins have scratched in at least two goals this season. The Paladins are led offensively by sophomore striker Jenny Jacobson, who has posted four goals on an efficient seven shots on target. Helping facilitate the Furman front is senior Valentina Mosquera, who has seven points on the season thanks to three assists and two goals of her own.
WCU's chromatic cousins have a timeshare between the pipes as both Addison Corn and Reese DeJong have recorded at least 300 minutes in goal for the Paladins this season. Corn has started both of Furman's SoCon matches this season, with DeJong acting as the last line of defense for the final 45 against Mercer and VMI. The goalkeeping duo has combined for 44 saves and a .698 save percentage.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina remains on the road to take on VMI on Thursday, Oct. 3, for a 4 p.m. kick before returning home to host The Citadel on Sunday, Oct. 6, for the annual Kick Cancer match. Fans in attendance are encouraged to wear pink for the 2 p.m. penultimate home start.
