Rock Hill, S.C. – Western Carolina women's soccer brought a dominant offensive effort on the road as the Catamounts blanked the Winthrop Eagles, 2-0, on Sunday evening. The Catamounts blistered the Eagles with 28 shot attempts, putting 10 on goal with Ava Robitaille and Isabella DeMarco both scoring in the two-goal tally.

With consecutive scoreless affairs, WCU is now 3-3-2 on the season, while the Eagles are now 2-2-2 after the Catamounts snapped their four-match unbeaten streak.   

Isabella DeMarco set the tone for the Catamounts early, taking the first shot of the day in the opening 30 seconds of the match. WCU followed the initial attempt with five corner kicks in the first 15 minutes, outshooting the Eagles 7-1 before Winthrop's Amalie Steen recorded a shot attempt, though none of the first eight shots in the match were on frame.

DeMarco recorded the first on-target shot in the 25th minute, but Winthrop's Sofia Iori denied the attempt, resulting in the Catamounts' sixth corner kick. Sofia Goclowski capitalized, connecting with Ava Robitaille out of the corner. A hometown product from Rock Hill, S.C., Robitaille struck for her second goal of the season and what ended up being the first game-winning goal of her career.  

Following the go-ahead marker, the Eagles stymied the Catamount attack, limiting WCU to only four more shots in the first half. Erika Gariepy and Samantha Whitaker put their shots on frame in the 28th and 39th minutes, respectively.  

Winthrop, however, ramped up the offensive pressure to close the first 45 as Elle Brewer put the Eagles' first shot on target in the 42nd minute. The Catamount defense denied the would-be goal and also fended off three corner kicks in the final five minutes of the half to preserve the shutout into intermission.

The second half opened the same as the first, with the Catamounts ripping the first seven shots of the period. Isabella DeMarco capped off the early flurry with her first goal of the season. Milla Syska connected with DeMarco for the goal, giving Syska her first assist this  year.

Defensively, the Catamounts anchored down in the second half, only conceding two shots, neither of which threatened for a goal. WCU outshot the Eagles 7-2 in the final 30 minutes of the night as the Catamounts secured their third victory of the season.  

Catamount Notables:  

• Western Carolina outshot the Eagles 28-to-5, taking their most shots in a match since firing 37 against VMI in 2022.  
• The 10 shots on goal taken by the Catamounts are the most in a match since putting 14 on frame against Wofford in the Southern Conference tournament last season. 
• Ava Robitaille, a Rock Hill, S.C. native, recorded the first game-winning goal of her career against the Eagles. She scored her second goal of the season, a career-high for the senior Catamount. 
• Isabella DeMarco and Milla Syska recorded their first points of the season, collecting a goal and an assist, respectively. DeMarco leads the team in shots with 26 after taking a single-game career-high eight in the 2-0 win. 
• Milla Syska and Sofia Goclowski are tied for the team lead in points at five, with the two recording two goals and an assist each.  
• Leanne Trudel picked up her third shutout of the season, though she did not have to record a save in the 2-0 victory. Trudel is now two shutouts away from tying Caitlin Williams for the program record in career shutouts at 28. 

Up Next for The Catamounts: 

The Catamounts have a brief reprieve despite a long upcoming road trip, finishing off the nonconference slate on Friday, Sept. 12, as they travel to the Port City to take on the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. The final non-league game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. 

WCU then opens the Southern Conference schedule with a gauntlet run through the top half of the preseason poll, battling the Samford Bulldogs in Birmingham, Ala., on Sept. 18, in a rematch of the last two conference championship matches. The Cats then swing through Georgia to take on the Mercer Bears in Macon on Sept. 21.