Cullowhee, N.C. -- Western Carolina women's soccer is riding back-to-back dominating shutout performances after picking up its third victory of the season on Thursday night, blanking the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs 4-0 at the Catamount Athletics Complex.

The homestanding Catamounts held a commanding 24-to-4 advantage in shot attempts including an impressive 17-to-1 edge in those fired on net in the Southern Conference - Big South midweek showdown. Despite the four markers that lit the scoreboard, the Runnin' Bulldogs managed 13 combined saves while WCU's Leanne Trudel collected the shutout with just one official stop.

Four Catamounts found the back of the cage in the winning effort, two coming in either half. After receiving the spark, Isabella DeMarco has been on fire recently, collecting a goal and an assist with her scoring shot coming on an Olimpico - or scoring on her set play corner kick opportunity. Becca Campbell moved to within a goal of the team seasonal lead with her third tally of the season with what ultimately proved to be the game winner . Naya Marcil and Christina Layton both scored in the second half to earn their first goals of the season.
 
Isabella DeMarco recorded the first shot of the night for the Purple and Gold quickly out of the gates in the third minute, but play slowed until the eighth minute when Naya Marcil put the first shot on goal of the night. Gardner-Webb goal keeper Stephanie Liu made her first of 13 saves in a precursor of what was to follow. The Catamounts would not be denied for long as Campbell knocked in her third goal of the season to give the Catamounts the 1-0 lead. WCU would only add to as the night continued. Isabella DeMarco fired a corner kick in front of the box where Ava Robitaille predicted to Campbell who snuck the shot past the keeper for the early advantage.  
 
Only 40 seconds later, the Catamounts were back to a set piece in the corner kick with Isabella DeMarco set to deliver the ball yet again. This time however, there would be no need for more than one touch as DeMarco curled the ball directly inside the right post for the Olimpico goal in the 12th minute. Not content with the two-goal lead in the first half, the Purple and Gold continued to hammer away at the Runnin' Bulldog backline firing seven more shots on target in the first half, though Liu denied the attempts.  
 
The Catamount backline dominated in the first half by limiting Gardner-Webb to only two shot attempts in the first 45 minutes, while the attacking Cats countered with 15 shots of their own.  
 
The second half opened somewhat sluggishly in comparison to the furious pace of the first half as both teams combined for only six shots through the first 15 minutes. Gardner-Webb produced its best attack of the night in the 58th minute as Carina Leal fired the only shot on target of the night for the visiting team, which Trudel denied en route to collecting her second-consecutive clean sheet of the season. 
 
A handball in the Gardner-Webb box granted the Catamounts their first penalty kick of the season, which Naya Marcil took advantage of, firing the shot inside the left post and just outside the outstretched hand of Liu. With the 3-0 lead in hand, Chad Miller and the Catamount staff opted to rotate in younger players as the Purple and Gold cycled in 11 players over the course of the final 24 minutes.  
 
The highest highlight on a night full of them for the home team came in the 88th minute of the match, when precise passes from Sophie Schulz and Mackenzie Megill presented senior Christina Layton with an opportunity to earn her first career goal. Layton, who had not taken a shot on goal since her freshman campaign in 2021, buried the shot in goal as the Purple and Gold bench exploded for the fourth time in the 4-0 win.  
  
Catamount Notables:  

• WCI recorded its 10th straight win over Gardner-Webb in the series ... Western Carolina has never lost or tied with the Runnin' Bulldogs and the 4-0 victory was the most goals scored in series history.  
• The Catamounts have taken 19+ shots and 10+ shots on goal in every match this season outside of the season opener with the Florida Gators. The Purple and Gold have collected 121 shots, putting 65 on goal. They average 20.2 shots per game so far this season, a 6.4 shot per game jump from last season's average 
• Isabella DeMarco recorded her second straight game with an assist and a goal. The Catamount striker is now up to 6 points on the season, recording three in her last two outings 
• Senior defender Becca Campbell is tied for third on the team with seven points on the season. Campbell recorded six points through 21 appearances all of last season 
• Campbell is now the only Catamount to play the full 90 minutes in all matches this season, recording all 540 possible minutes of game action this year 
• The Catamounts saw 17 substitutions enter the match, with Mackenzie Megill, Lilliana Iacofano, Olivia Mickey, and Gabriela Vatrano all making their season debuts 

 Up Next for the Catamounts 
The Purple and Gold will head to Greenville, N.C. to take on the East Carolina Pirates at 1:00 on Sunday, September 8. They will then hit a slate of four consecutive home matches as the host Presbyterian on September 12, Winthrop on September 15, Samford on September 19, and Mercer on September 22