Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's soccer closes out a three-match homestand on Thursday night as it hosts the Georgia Southern Eagles at the on-campus Catamount Athletic Complex. Match three of the season is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start, with fans encouraged to wear gold for "Golden Goal Night." One lucky fan in attendance will receive a golden soccer ball if the Catamounts record a goal inside the first 10 minutes of the match.
Admission on Thursday – and for each of the six remaining regular-season home matches in Cullowhee – is free of charge, courtesy of First Bank. Thursday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
Thursday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (1-1-0, SoCon 0-0-0) vs Georgia Southern (1-1-0, Sun Belt 0-0-0)
Cullowhee, N.C. | 6 p.m. | Catamount Athletic Complex
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/3zk3e32c
Watch: ESPN+ (paid subscription required): https://tinyurl.com/3sx7r3f6
Quick Cuts:
A second former Southern Conference foe to make its way to Cullowhee this season, the Eagles and Catamounts have seen each other 17 times in series history. The most recent matchup was a 2-1 Catamount win on the road in Statesboro back in 2013, with the Catamounts commanding a 10-5-2 record in the overall series. Georgia Southern claimed the last matchup in Cullowhee, taking a 2-1 win in 2012 with WCU's last home win over the Eagles coming in a 2-0 decision in 2010.
The Catamounts enter Thursday's matchup after earning their first win of the season in a 1-0 shutout over last year's Big South Conference runner-up, High Point. WCU commanded possession throughout the match, allowing the team to hold onto a 1-0 lead earned in the first six minutes of play.
Georgia Southern hails from the Sun Belt Conference, marking WCU's second opponent from the SBC as the Catamounts fell on a late marker, 3-2, to the Appalachian State Mountaineers, who most recently claimed a 1-0 win over the Miami Hurricanes.
Georgia Southern enters Thursday's match with a high-flying 5-6 goal differential after taking down the Samford Bulldogs 3-2 on opening night and falling 4-1 to the Jacksonville Dolphins. Despite the relatively lopsided score, the Eagles were competitive statistically with the Dolphins, outshooting the ASUN opponent, 15-to-13, but putting only six shots on target as opposed to Jacksonville's 10. GSU's 3-2 win over the Bulldogs was a statistical anomaly, with the Eagles scoring in the first 30 seconds of the match and then notching the game-winner in the 86th minute. Samford posted 18 shots to 10 by the Eagles, and put seven on target versus four.
Players to Watch:
Sofia Goclowski made a significant impact for the Catamounts in their last game, scoring the lone goal in the game's sixth minute that secured the win against High Point. The junior from Sharon, Mass., is currently second on the team and in the Southern Conference in shots with seven through two matches, and has placed five of those shots on goal. She only trails Isabella DeMarco, who leads with eight shots so far this season. DeMarco assisted Goclowski's game-winning goal and now needs four more helpers to tie the WCU career record for assists.
Defensively, GK Leanne Trudel and the Catamount backline picked up their first shutout win of the season, limiting the Panthers to just six shots. Mary Mueth, Abbie Wise, and Rylie Niemeyer have all gone the distance in WCU's first two matchups this season, with Samantha Whitaker ranking fifth on the team in minutes played with 171. Trudel is now just four shutouts away from tying the WCU career record after blanking High Point, picking up four saves in the process.
Georgia Southern's offense is spearheaded by Paisley Cathey and Bri Conley, both with four points through the first two games. Conley opened the Eagles' season with a goal just 30 seconds into the match against Samford, while Cathey restored the lead in the 67th minute with an unassisted goal. In the 4-1 loss to Jacksonville, Cathey scored her second goal of the year with Conley providing the assist for the team's lone tally.
The Eagles have played two different players between the posts so far this season, with freshman Addison Daughtry recording back-to-back starts, but junior Quinn Wilson closing out the match with Jacksonville. Daughtry has nine saves this season and earned her first career win against Samford.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina hits the road for the first time this season as they take on the defending ASUN champion Lipscomb Bison in Nashville, Tenn. The matchup on Aug. 24, pits the 2025 preseason SoCon favorites against the favored squad from the ASUN preseason, is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT. The Catamounts remain on the road, traveling to the City of Oaks, to take on the NC State Wolfpack on Aug. 27 at 6 p.m.
