Cullowhee, N.C. – Samantha Vibberts and Darien Vita netted goals for Western Carolina on Friday night as the Catamounts came back from a two-goal deficit to earn a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Mercer in Southern Conference action at the on-campus Catamount Athletic Complex.
Vibberts put the Catamounts on the board just two and a half minutes after Mercer notched its second of two first-half goals scored on a penalty kick. The Bears carried the one-goal edge into halftime. Then, still trailing 2-1 midway through the second half, Vita curled a shot from outside the box that found the upper left 90 for her first career goal and evening the scoreboard.
The two teams played the final 21 minutes even, resulting in the tie.
With the draw, the Catamounts are now 4-9-3 and 2-4-2 in Southern Conference play with eight points in the standings. The Catamounts are currently slotted as the eighth seed in the Southern Conference championships, holding a tiebreaker over the ninth seed Mercer Bears.
Mercer (7-7-3, 2-4-2 SoCon) struck first in the match, earning two PKs it converted into a two-goal advantage. Emma Soucy was charged with a foul in the box after a chaotic sequence following a Mercer corner kick, with Maria Karipidis burying the opening score.
The Bears followed their initial score with a second in the 31st minute after a Catamount handball in the box. After a brief video review, Olivia Bori capitalized from the spot for the Bears, with Mercer taking a 2-0 lead.
The Catamounts responded soon after, though, as Vibberts uncorked a shot from outside the box and banked it off the right post and in for the first WCU goal. Maddie Lopez set up the score, turning and dishing out to Vibberts. Her long-range snipe went high to the post, banking the score in past goalkeeper Avery Parker. The score was the first non-set piece goal of Vibberts' career and pulled the Catamounts within one of the Bears at the half.
WCU goalkeeper Amara Yetka and the Catamount defense weathered a Mercer barrage to open the second half, with the Bears firing the first four shots and earning four corner kicks in the first 10 minutes out of the locker room. Yetka and her supporting cast managed to keep the Catamounts in contention by turning away the Bear attack.
Darien Vita broke through the Bear backline in the 69th minute, as the freshman found the back of the net for the equalizer on the first goal of her collegiate career. Graduate student Eliza Rich connected with Vita, who curled a shot high to the far corner of the goal, tying the match, 2-2.
The two teams combined for eight shots over the final 20 minutes, with Alexandra Grammenopoulos and Katarina Schmidler both putting attacks on goal for WCU. Amara Yetka picked up a final save in the 88th minute on a shot by Payton Nutzman as the two teams ended the night with the draw.
Statistically, the Bears outshot WCU 19-16 overall, though the Catamounts fired 11 shots on goal to Mercer's seven. Mercer also recorded more corner kicks than WCU, just edging out the Catamounts 9-8. The two teams combined for 14 saves, with WCU goalkeeper Amara Yetka recording five to nine by Avery Parker.
Catamount Notables:
- The 2-2 draw with Mercer was the first tie in series history with the Bears.
- The Catamounts are on a four-game regular season unbeaten streak against Mercer, going 3-0-1 in their meetings since 2023.
- However, the Catamounts are winless in their last two home meetings with Mercer, falling in the SoCon semifinals last season.
- Mercer's two penalty kick goals marked the first time the Catamounts had conceded two penalty tries in the same match since a 2-1 loss at Samford in 2016.
- The Catamounts recorded their third consecutive match with double-digit shots on goal, putting 11 on frame against Mercer.
- Samantha Vibberts recorded her first career goal from the field, with her previous three markers being an Olimpico and a penalty kick in 2024 and a penalty kick earlier this year.
- Darien Vita recorded her first career goal and is now tied for second on the team in total points with four.
- Maddie Lopez recorded her first assist of the season on Samantha Vibberts' goal.
Up Next for the Catamounts:
Western Carolina remains at home on Thursday, Oct. 29, to host Tennessee Tech for a Hallo-WHEEn matchup. Kickoff between the Catamounts and the Golden Eagles is set for 6 p.m. at the on-campus Catamount Athletic Complex.
The Catamounts then close the 2026 regular season on Nov. 1, traveling to Greenville, S.C., to take on the Furman Paladins ahead of the 2026 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship that begins on Nov. 6.
