Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina University's fall sports action officially gets underway on Tuesday afternoon as the two-time defending Southern Conference regular season champion Catamount women's soccer team hosts the Charleston Southern Buccaneers for the first of two exhibition matches this week at the on-campus Catamount Athletics Complex.
WCU was originally scheduled to host Charleston Southern in a preseason exhibition last season, but that match was scratched due to inclement weather. Tuesday's match begins at 4 p.m., with Queens University of Charlotte coming to Cullowhee on Friday evening for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
Admission to both matches this week – and all season long – is free of charge, courtesy of First Bank.
Tuesday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (0-0-0, 0-0-0 SoCon) vs Charleston Southern (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Big South)
Cullowhee, N.C. | 4:00 p.m. | Catamount Athletic Complex
NOTE: * Neither a live stream nor live stats are available for the exhibition match. *
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Buccaneers have only met twice before on the soccer pitch in official competition, with matches in back-to-back seasons in 2000 and 2001. The two teams split results in those early matchups, with Charleston Southern battling for a tight 2-1 win in Charleston in 2000 before the Catamounts defended home turf with a 3-0 victory the following year.
Both teams return plenty of talent from their previous season. The Catamounts feature two of their top three point producers from last season in Milla Syska (26 points, 11 goals, 4 assists) and Isabella DeMarco (25 points, 8 goals, 9 assists). Charleston Southern returns midfielder Danika Birch, who was tied for the team lead in points with 14 a year ago as a freshman.
Western Carolina holds the advantage between the posts, as the Catamounts return Leanne Trudel, who boasted the fourth-most shutouts (12), the eighth-best save percentage (.863), and the ninth-best goals against average (.487) in the NCAA Division I ranks. She and the Catamounts earned the rankings thanks to an outstanding defensive effort, led by returners Abbie Wise, Mary Mueth, and Samantha Whitaker.
Charleston Southern returns Avery Mason as the defensive backstop. She saw action in eight matches a year ago, picking up 18 saves in her 514:12 minutes of game action. She split time with veteran Jenna Moran last season, but went the distance between the pipes for the Buccaneers in their final three Big South matchups against USC Upstate, Longwood, and UNC Asheville.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The Western Carolina soccer team hosts another preseason exhibition on Friday (Aug. 8) as the Queens Royals make the trek from Charlotte for a 6 p.m. start. That matchup marks the end of the exhibition schedule for the Catamounts, who then turn their attention to the August 14 home opener vs arch-rival Appalachian State. The regular-season home opener will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
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).
