Cullowhee, N.C. – After a brief return to the home front, the Western Carolina women's soccer team is back on the road to open five consecutive matches away from home as the Catamounts first travel to Farmville, Va., to face the Longwood Lancers. Kick at the Longwood Athletic Complex is set for Thursday (Sept. 4) at 6 p.m.
Thursday's matchup will be livestreamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
Thursday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (2-3-1, SoCon 0-0-0) at Longwood (3-3-0, Big South 0-0-0)
Farmville, Va. | 6:00 p.m. | Longwood Athletic Complex
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/yp8jnmw3
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/yck63bpb
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Lancers face off for the seventh time in series history and for the second season in a row, with WCU holding a 2-0-4 record against the Big South opponent. Thursday's matchup is only the third in Virginia, with the previous two featuring a pair of ties with a scoreless affair in 2022 and a 1-1 2OT draw in 2014. Last year's matchup was concluded dramatically, with the Lancers rallying in the second half to take a 2-1 advantage over the homestanding Catamounts. Facing a one-goal deficit with seconds to go, Catamount cornerstone Naya Marcil sprinted to the corner to fire off a corner kick, which Milla Syska finished for the game-tying goal with just 19 seconds remaining in the match.
WCU enters Thursday after one of the toughest weeks in terms of opponent quality in program history. The Catamounts faced two Power Four opponents in the NC State Wolfpack and the second-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols. WCU triumphed on the road in Raleigh, downing the Wolfpack 3-2 for its first win over the ACC in program history. The Lady Vols powered through Cullowhee for a 3-0 win over the Catamounts, though changes to WCU's lineup prevented scoring opportunities early for the SEC foe.
Longwood enters the matchup amidst a three-match losing skid, falling to Charlotte (3-1), UMBC (1-0), and ETSU (1-0). The Lancers had opened the season with three consecutive wins before the losing streak, stringing together victories over Alabama A&M (4-0), American (2-1), and SoCon Commonwealth foe, VMI (5-3).
Longwood is the second of three Big South opponents for the Catamounts this season, who already have a 1-0 win over the High Point Panthers and are set to face Winthrop in Rock Hill, S.C., on Sept. 7. WCU's last loss to a Big South opponent came in 2022, when the Catamounts fell to the Radford Highlanders 2-0 in Radford, Va.
Players to Watch:
The Catamounts came away with a win in Raleigh last week thanks to the efforts of Southern Conference Player of the Week Gabriela Vatrano. The sophomore posted her first career goal and assist in the win, connecting with Sofia Goclowski on the game-winning goal in the 86th minute. Goclowski enjoyed a productive week as well, taking six shots and putting three on frame while scoring her second game-winning goal of the season. She's one of only three players so far this season to take four shots and put two on target against Tennessee, joining North Carolina's Olivia Thomas and UCLA's Val Vargas.
Defensively, the Catamounts fielded a different lineup with Samantha Whitaker, Abbie Wise, Mary Mueth, Rylie Niemeyer, and freshman Addison Davis all starting along the backline against the No. 2 Lady Vols. Mueth, Whitaker, Wise, and Davis all went the distance against Tennessee, while Niemeyer saw 82 minutes of game action. The Catamount backline will look to smother the Lancer attack, which was credited with just one shot in its road bout with ETSU.
The Lancers are led by outstanding freshman Sam Fischer, who leads the team with four goals and an assist on the season already. She was named Big South Offensive Player of the Week after posting two goals in Longwood's season-opening wins, and collected Big South Freshman of the Week honors after recording a brace against VMI.
Incumbent goalkeeper Sara Curtis leads the way for the Lancers between the posts, with the veteran keeper recording 24 saves and a .750 save percentage this season. She collected eight saves against the Catamounts a year ago, tying a career-high total which she previously set against Mercer during her time at Charleston Southern. Additionally, freshman defender Kiki Putnam leads the non-goalkeepers in minutes played, seeing the pitch for 490 minutes of action already.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU remains on the road to close out the nonconference portion of its schedule, heading to Rock Hill, S.C., to face the Winthrop Eagles on Sept. 7 with a 6 p.m. kick. The Catamounts then return to North Carolina to face UNC Wilmington to finish the out-of-league slate on Sept. 12.
Southern Conference play begins on Sept. 18, with the Catamounts set to open with a rematch of both the 2023 and 2024 Southern Conference tournament championships as they travel to Birmingham, Ala., to face the Samford Bulldogs.
