Cullowhee, N.C. – The nonconference road trip for the Western Carolina women's soccer team continues Sunday evening, as the Catamounts swing through the Palmetto State for a meeting with the Winthrop Eagles at the Eagle Field in Rock Hill, S.C. The Catamounts' match with the third and final Big South opponent on the 2025 docket is set for a 6 p.m. kick.
Sunday's matchup will not be livestreamed, though fans can follow along with the action through the live stats link on CatamountSports.com.
Sunday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (2-3-2, SoCon 0-0-0) at Winthrop (2-1-2, Big South 0-0-0)
Rock Hill, S.C. | Eagle Field | 6 p.m.
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/2se8259n
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Eagles meet for the eighth time in program history, with the Catamounts holding a 7-0-1 edge in the all-time series. It's the third consecutive season the two squads have met on the pitch, with WCU commanding a 4-0 win in Cullowhee last season and a 5-1 victory in Rock Hill in 2023.
Western Carolina enters Sunday's showdown with a 2-3-2 record, most recently securing a scoreless 0-0 draw with the Longwood Lancers in Farmville, Va. The Catamounts were also held scoreless in their match with the second-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols and look to halt their longest scoring drought since a two-game stretch towards the end of the 2022 regular season. The Catamounts have outscored Winthrop 12-2 in the last three series matchups and have outscored the Eagles 21-4 all-time.
Winthrop rides into the match on a two-match unbeaten streak, picking up two scoreless draws with Southern Conference foes, VMI and Wofford. The Eagles have scored three goals this season, recording two against The Citadel and one against Southern Wesleyan. Defensively, the Eagles have allowed only one goal following a four-goal eruption by Chattanooga in the season opener.
WCU has faced two Big South opponents already this season, earning a 1-0 win over High Point and battling to a 0-0 draw against Longwood Thursday night. Winthrop has shared the pitch with four SoCon opponents already this season, holding a 1-1-2 mark against the league. The Eagles fell to Chattanooga (4-0) in the season opener before taking down The Citadel 2-1 their next time out. Most recently, Winthrop has posted 0-0 draws to VMI and Wofford in back-to-back matches.
Players to Watch:
The Catamount offense was productive in nearly every area outside of goals last time out, with Milla Syska leading the team in shots with six. Syska is tied for the team lead in goals at two with Sofia Goclowski, though both of Goclowski's goals were game-winners vs High Point and NC State. Ava Robitaille has been productive in recent weeks as well, with the midfielder tied for second on the team in shots on goal with five and fourth in shots with seven.
Winthrop is led offensively by a pair of midfielders in Monssi Avilla-Gutierrez and Cordelia McIntosh. The two have 11 shots apiece this season, though Avilla-Gutierrez leads the team in goals with two, including the game-winner vs Southern Wesleyan. McIntosh had the game-winner against The Citadel and assisted Avilla-Gutierrez on her goal in the match.
The Eagles have an even split between the posts this season, with Sofia Iori and Mia Vrataric both seeing action at goalkeeper in all five matches. Iori leads the team in saves (7), save percentage (.778), and GAA (.80), but Vrataric has 12 match starts in her career, including four this season.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The Catamounts remain on the road to close out nonconference play as they take on the UNC Wilmington Seahawks on Sept. 12, with kickoff at 7 p.m. in Wilmington. WCU then turns its attention to SoCon play and its regular-season title defense with a critical road swing, battling the Samford Bulldogs on Sept. 18 in a rematch of the last two conference title matches, before visiting the Mercer Bears on Sept. 21.
