Cullowhee, N.C. -- The Western Carolina women's soccer team is looking to keep up the momentum as it hosts the Wofford Terriers at the on-campus Catamount Athletic Complex. Kick is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., though the Catamounts are scheduled to honor a legendary senior class consisting of Isabella DeMarco, Ava Robitaille, Milla Syska, Leanne Trudel, and Abbie Wise with ceremonies beginning at 6:45 p.m.  

The third-place Catamounts enter Friday's matchup as winners of their last two outings, posting a 7-4-3 record overall and a 3-1-1 mark in conference play. The ninth-place Terriers stand at 3-7-5 and are still searching for their first conference victory with a 0-3-2 record through their first five outings.  

Admission on Friday – and for each of WCU's two remaining regular-season home matches in Cullowhee – is free of charge, courtesy of First Bank. Friday's matchup will be livestreamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with a link and live stats available on CatamountSports.com.

Friday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (7-4-3, SoCon 3-1-1) vs Wofford (3-7-5, SoCon 0-3-2)  
Cullowhee, N.C. | 7:00 p.m. | Catamount Athletic Complex
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/yptd4ccw
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/3zk3e32c

Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Terriers meet for the 32nd time in series history, with the Catamounts holding a 21-7-3 advantage all-time. WCU is on a 12-game winning streak against the Terriers, outscoring the SoCon foe 45-6 since 2016. The last four matches in the series have been decided by five goals, with the Catamounts picking up a pair of 6-1 victories last season and two 5-0 wins in 2023.  

WCU enters the matchup red hot, posting 12 goals in their last two games with a 9-0 win over VMI and a 3-0 road win over The Citadel. In those two games, the Catamounts have posted more goals than the Terriers have all season, with Wofford netting 11 markers through their 15 matches.  

Wofford comes into Friday night's bout on a five-match winless streak, going 0-3-2 in their first five conference contests. The Terrier's last victory was a 2-0 win over Stetson on Sept. 14, which put a cap on a six-game undefeated streak in which Wofford went 3-0-3 with wins over Gardner-Webb and Presbyterian.  

The two teams have seen two common foes in the non-conference slate, with the Terriers drawing 0-0 with Winthrop and 1-1 with Charleston Southern. The Catamounts took down Winthrop 2-0 on the road and earned a 4-0 win over CSU in a preseason exhibition.  

They have also seen two common foes in the SoCon schedule, with the Catamounts going 1-0-1 against Samford and The Citadel, while the Terriers went 0-1-1. WCU battled to an explosive 2-2 draw with the Bulldogs in the conference opener, combining for 37 shots and putting 22 on net. The Terriers were smothered in their outing against Samford, falling 4-1 and getting outshot 14-3.  

WCU overpowered The Citadel on the road, rolling to a 3-0 win with a 19-3 (9-1) shot differential. Wofford battled to a 1-1 draw with the Bulldogs, firing 11 shots to The Citadel's 10.  

Around the SoCon – Oct. 10:
#1 ETSU (8-2-4, SoCon 3-0-2) at #4 Furman (8-2-3, SoCon 2-1-2) | Greenville, S.C. | 7:00 p.m.
#2 Samford (6-2-5, SoCon 3-0-2) vs #10 VMI (1-12-1, SoCon 0-5-0) | Homewood, Ala. | 2:00 p.m.
#3 Western Carolina (7-4-3, SoCon 3-1-1) vs #9 Wofford (3-7-5, SoCon 0-3-2) | Cullowhee, N.C. | 7:00 p.m.
#5 Chattanooga (8-3-3, SoCon 2-1-2) at #8 The Citadel (4-6-2, SoCon 1-3-1) | Charleston, S.C. | 4:00 p.m.
#6 UNCG (3-8-2, SoCon 2-1-2) at #7 Mercer (6-5-2, SoCon 1-2-2) | Macon, Ga. | 6:00 p.m.

Players to Watch:

Head coach Chad Miller won't have to think twice about starting his seniors on Senior Night, as Isabella DeMarco, Ava Robitaille, Milla Syska, Leanne Trudel, and Abbie Wise look to come out with a win following their senior ceremony. The 2025 senior class has combined for 40 wins, 222 saves, 53 goals –11 of which have been game-winners--, 45 assists for 151 points in over 24,000 minutes on the pitch.
 
Isabella DeMarco rides into Friday's matchup after one of the greatest individual weeks in Catamount history, posting five goals and an assist against VMI and The Citadel. DeMarco was named to the TopDrawer Soccer national Team of the Week for her efforts and received her third career SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honor. She is only one assist away from tying the WCU record for all-time assists (25 – Lauren Bramlett 2000-03). She is now nine goals away from tying Nardia Moore's (1999-02) record of 39 and is 14 points away from Moore's record of 96.

Defensively, Leanne Trudel recently cemented herself in the Catamount record books as the senior captain posted her 39th career shutout in WCU's 3-0 win over The Citadel. She now holds the record for shutouts in a career and can continue to build on her record. She is six wins away from tying Mandi Tinsley's (1999-02) record of 44.  

Wofford is led offensively by freshman Julia Grier, who has posted three goals and two assists for the Terriers this season, though she hasn't notched a point in SoCon play yet. Aly Bernhard and Ansley Elizalde are tied for the team lead in goals in conference play, netting one each this year.  

Defensively, incumbent goalkeeper Elizabeth Navola has seen the most action between the posts for the Terriers, recording 1289 minutes of action this season. She's picked up 62 saves, but has conceded 18 scores, 10 of which have come in conference contests.  

Up Next for The Catamounts:
The Catamounts will be back in road action on Oct. 16 for a pivotal conference matchup against Blue Ridge Border rival ETSU. Kick in Johnson City, Tenn., is slated for 6:00 p.m. as the conference regular season race reaches fever pitch.  
WCU will then be back home to close out the regular season with a two-game homestand against UNC Greensboro on Oct. 19 and the Chattanooga Mocs on Oct. 26.