Cullowhee, N.C. -- The Western Carolina women's soccer team is returning home for a Thursday night showdown with the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs. The Catamount's third home game is set to kick at 7:00 p.m. September 5. 
 
Thursday's Match-Up 
Western Carolina (2-2-1, 0-0-0 SoCon) vs Gardner-Webb (1-3-1, 0-0-0 Big South) 
Cullowhee, N.C. | 7:00 p.m. | Catamount Athletic Complex 
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/nvt4xhvs 
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/yby5sbtk 
 
2023 Records:  
Western Carolina (13-5-3, 7-2-0 SoCon) 
Gardner-Webb (4-12-2, 1-6-1 Big South) 
 
Quick Cuts: 
The Catamounts and Runnin' Bulldogs have shared the pitch nine times over the 25 year history of women's soccer at WCU. The Purple and Gold have won all nine of those previous meetings, including the most recent matchup in 2021, which the Catamounts won 3-0. Kirsten Hahn recorded the second goal of her career and her first career assist in the victory.  
 
Gardner-Webb will be the third of five Big South opponents for the Catamounts this season. The Purple and Gold have posted a 1-0-1 record in their previous two matchups with a 6-1 win over the UNC Asheville Bulldogs and a 2-2 draw with the Longwood Lancers. The Runnin' Bulldogs have the Catamounts and the VMI Keydets on the 2024 slate. They saw action against four SoCon schools last season, taking a 3-0 loss at the hands of ETSU, a 1-0 win over VMI, a 2-2 draw with Wofford and a 4-0 loss to Mercer.  
 
Players to Watch:  
Milla Syska has exploded onto the scene in her junior year as the Catamount striker is tied for the team lead in goals and points with four scores and eight points through the first five matches of the 2024 season. Syska was most recently named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week for her first-half brace performance against the Georgia State Panthers.  
 
Isabella DeMarco found her first points of the 2024 campaign against Georgia State as well, as the reigning SoCon Player of the Year connected with Syska for the latter's first goal of the 3-0 road victory. DeMarco then capitalized on a breakaway with a minute to go in the match, burying a shot in net for her first goal of the season. The junior from Charleston, S.C. leads the team with 23 shots, placing 11 on goal.  
 
Sofia Goclowski returned to the Catamount starting lineup for the first time since the season opener with the Florida Gators, giving the Catamounts an early spark to take command of the matchup with Georgia State. Though she did not fill the box score statistically, the sophomore from Sharon, Mass. created several opportunities for the attacking Catamounts, allowing the Purple and Gold to keep up the pressure to the tune of six shots and one goal in the first six minutes of the match.  
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs are led by a senior trio consisting of two forwards and a defender in  Livi Tanzer, Julianna Jatkola, and Lea Gossett. Tanzer has been efficient in limited opportunities, recording two of the team's five goals on only two shots this season, while Jatkola and Gossett (the defender) are tied for the team lead with six shots apiece. Jatkola has one of Gardner-Webb's goals while Gossett has recorded an assist in the season. Behind the Runnin' Bulldogs top trio is freshman defender Anya Tribune, who has recorded five shots on the season, placing four on goal and scoring a goal in Gardner-Webb's season opening loss to Stetson.  
 
Gardner-Webb has deployed two sophomores between the pipes this season, though Stephanie Liu has started all five of GWU's matches this season. However, Jamie Martin took over for Liu in their Runnin' Bulldogs 2-0 loss to Davidson, recording one save in the defeat.  
 
Up Next for The Catamounts:  
The Purple and Gold will hit the road to take on the East Carolina Pirates on Sunday, September 8 at 1:00 p.m before returning home for four consecutive home matches to close out the non-conference schedule and open SoCon play. They'll host the Presbyterian Blue Hose on September 12th before turning their attention to the Winthrop Eagles for senior day on September 15th.  

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).