Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's soccer closed the home portion of its 2026 regular-season schedule on the short end of a 1-0 defeat to Tennessee Tech on Thursday night at the Catamount Athletic Complex. The Golden Eagles scored in the 16th minute and made the marker stand up over the remaining 74 minutes to earn the victory.
The Catamounts remain the eighth seed in the upcoming Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship, pending a Furman win over ninth-place Mercer. Should the current conference table remain as is, the Catamounts would be slotted to face the Bears in a Nov. 6 play-in match, hosted by Samford in Homewood, Ala.
Thursday's first half was evenly matched, with both teams putting three shots on goal in the first 45 minutes of play on a combined 10 shots. Tennessee Tech broke the scoreless draw, though, in the 16th minute as Presley Williams fired a shot from outside the box to the top left corner of the net for the early advantage.
WCU's Darien Vita nearly connected with Alexandra Zents on an outstanding game-tying goal in the 33rd minute. Vita placed a cross right on Zents on the far side before TTU goalkeeper Laila McNamee denied the score with a diving save. Zents had another opportunity a few moments later on a pass from Caroline Simpkins, but the timing between the two was slightly off as the Golden Eagles were awarded a goal kick as TTU held on to a 1-0 lead through the break.
Tennessee Tech put pressure on the Catamounts in the second half, with Amara Yetka recording four of her six saves over the final 45 minutes. The two teams combined for 17 total attacks after intermission, though scoring opportunities remained at a premium. WCU posted two shots on goal in the second half, the final of which came in the 71st minute by Vita, with McNamee denying both attempts.
In total, the Catamounts edged Tennessee Tech 14-13 in shot attempts, though the Golden Eagles put seven shots on frame to WCU's five. Both teams took three corner kicks, while TTU committed four fouls to WCU's three.
Catamount Notables:
- The Catamounts have lost back-to-back matches to Tennessee Tech for the first time in program history, though WCU still leads the overall series 5-3
- For the third time in four matches, the Catamounts outshot their opponent, though WCU went 1-1-1 in those games.
- Amara Yetka collected six saves in the 1-0 loss.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina closes out the 2026 regular season on the road against the Furman Paladins on Sunday, Nov. 1. Kickoff at Furman's Stone Stadium is set for 2 p.m. The Catamounts are locked into a play-in round matchup of the 2026 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship on Nov. 6, but final conference standings and WCU's eventual play-in location will be determined on Sunday afternoon.
