Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's soccer concludes its longest road swing of the regular season on Sunday as the Catamounts battle the Mercer Bears for an afternoon matinee in central Georgia. Kick for the second match of the young 2025 Southern Conference slate is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Macon, Ga.
Sunday's match will not be live streamed, but fans can follow along with the live stats on CatamountSports.com.
Sunday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (4-3-3, SoCon 0-0-1) at Mercer (5-3-1, SoCon 0-0-1)
Macon, Ga. | Betts Stadium | 2 p.m. ET
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Bears meet for the 15th time in series history, with the Catamounts trailing the overall series 6-8. WCU carries a two-match winning streak over the Bears into Sunday's meeting, including a 2-1 win their last time in Macon in 2023. The last three matches in the series have been decided by a single goal, with last year's 1-0 Catamount shutout being the first since a Mercer shutout in 2021. The Catamounts are 4-5 all-time against the Bears in Macon.
WCU enters Sunday's matchup after battling the Samford Bulldogs to a 2-2 draw in Birmingham. The two teams combined for 37 shots, putting 22 on net with the Catamounts rallying from two separate one-goal deficits to pull even. The Catamounts still maintain an undefeated record on the road, going 3-0-3 through their first six road matches this season.
Mercer enters in a similar fashion, taking a 2-2 draw with the Furman Paladins to open their conference slate. Furman jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Bears in the first 15 minutes, before Mercer notched two goals only minutes apart to pull even in the first half. Mercer is 4-1 at home this season, with their one loss being a 2-0 shutout to Jacksonville State.
The two squads have only one common opponent between them this season, as both teams claimed two-goal wins over the Winthrop Eagles. The Catamounts did so with a 2-0 victory in Rock Hill, while Mercer battled for a 4-2 win over the Eagles in Macon.
Around the SoCon (9/21):
#1 Chattanooga (7-2-1, 1-0-0 SoCon) at #6 Samford (3-2-4, 0-0-1 SoCon) | Birmingham, Ala. | 2 p.m.
#2 ETSU (6-2-2, 1-0-0 SoCon) vs #3 UNC Greensboro (2-7-0, 1-0-0 SoCon) | Johnson City, Tenn. | 1 p.m.
#4 Furman (6-1-2, 0-0-1 SoCon) at #9 VMI (1-8-1, 0-1-0 SoCon) | Lexington, Va. | 1 p.m.
#5 Mercer (5-3-1, 0-0-1 SoCon) vs #7 Western Carolina (4-3-3, 0-0-1 SoCon) | Macon, Ga. | 2 p.m.
#8 The Citadel (3-4-1, 0-1-0 SoCon) at #10 Wofford (3-5-3, 0-1-0 SoCon) | Spartanburg, S.C. | 2 p.m.
Players to Watch:
Western Carolina's Isabella DeMarco and Emma Soucy both notched goals in the Catamounts' last outing against Samford, with DeMarco netting her second goal of the season and Soucy banking in her first of the year and third of her career. DeMarco, with 15 goals against conference opponents in her career, is only three assists, nine shots, and one shot on goal away from tying the school record in each of those categories.
Milla Syska and Sofia Goclowski are both tied for the team lead in points, as both Catamounts have seven. Syska has earned hers with two goals and three assists, connecting with DeMarco on her goal against Samford, while Goclowski has netted three game-winning goals and has one assist this season.
Defensively, the Catamounts fielded their usual quartet along the backline, though Rylie Niemeyer filled in at times for Mary Mueth, who left the pitch for the first time this season. Abbie Wise, Samantha Whitaker, and Addison Davis all went the distance with Leanne Trudel, who collected a career-high tying total of nine saves against Samford.
Mercer is led offensively by a trio in Payton Nutzman, Morganne Eikelbarner, and Sydney Farr, who have combined for 15 goals and eight assists this season. Nutzman, a freshman, leads the team with six goals, 49 shots, and 20 shots on target. Seniors Eikelbarner and Farr scored five and four goals, respectively, with Farr capitalizing on a penalty kick for Mercer's first goal against Furman. Additionally, Mercer has four more players who have scored at least one goal, including Hayden Lepley and Maria Karipidis who have two each.
Lindsey Bell started between the posts for the Bears against Furman, allowing two goals early in the match but anchoring down for four saves and a draw. Bell has 37 saves on the season for the Bears, conceding 12 goals on 128 total shots.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina returns home to host the Furman Paladins on Friday, Sept. 26 for a 7 p.m. kick at the Catamount Athletic Complex. The Catamounts then host the VMI Keydets on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. before returning to the road at The Citadel on Oct. 5 for a 2 p.m. start.
