Chattanooga, Tenn. – Western Carolina women's soccer faced an uphill battle early Sunday afternoon as Chattanooga scored three goals in the opening 13 minutes before the Catamounts were reduced to 10 players in a 5-0 Southern Conference setback at Finley Stadium.
The Mocs struck quickly with Paige Thomas finding the back of the net in the fourth minute before adding a second goal less than five minutes later for an early 2-0 lead. Chattanooga stretched its advantage to three goals in the 13th minute when Emily Betterton converted a scoring opportunity off an assist from Quinn Johnson.
Western Carolina's challenge became even greater in the 19th minute when Alexandra Grammenopoulos was issued a red card, forcing the Catamounts to play the final 71 minutes a player down. It was the first time since 2015 that WCU had a player sent off after being shown a red card.
Thomas completed a first-half hat trick with her third goal of the afternoon in the 26th minute. Despite playing shorthanded, the Catamounts continued to battle, generating their lone shot on goal in the 34th minute as Alexandra Zents tested the Chattanooga goalkeeper.
Ella Attawat capped the scoring for the Mocs with a goal in the 77th minute to provide the 5-0 final margin.
Of note, the last seven meetings between the Catamounts and Mocs have been shutout results, including four WCU wins and three losses.
Western Carolina slipped to 3-8-2 overall and 1-3-1 in Southern Conference play, while Chattanooga extended its unbeaten streak to nine matches and improved to 7-1-4 on the season.
Up Next
The Catamounts return home on Sunday, Oct. 11, hosting The Citadel in a Southern Conference matchup at the Catamount Athletic Complex. Prior to the 2 p.m. kickoff, Western Carolina will honor seniors Ovella Ariail, Maddie Lopez, Mackenzie Megill, Mary Mueth, Malia Roberts, Emma Soucy and Samantha Whitaker in a pregame Senior Day ceremony.
