Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's soccer opens its longest road stretch of the season on Sunday as the Catamounts travel to Carrollton, Ga., to face the West Georgia Wolves in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the University Soccer Field.
Sunday's matchup will air on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats available online at CatamountSports.com.
WCU's three-match road swing continues with the nonconference finale at Miami (OH) on Friday, Sept. 11, and its Southern Conference opener on Thursday, Sept. 17, at UNC Greensboro.
Sunday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (1-4-1, 0-0-0 SoCon) at West Georgia (0-3-1, 0-0-0 UAC)
Carrollton. Ga. | 1 p.m. | University Soccer Field
Watch: https://tinyurl.com/ymbtbvfv
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/e79w86un
Quick Cuts:
The Catamounts and Wolves meet for the first time in series history, as West Georgia is in just its third season of NCAA Division I competition. The Catamounts are only the third Southern Conference foe for West Georgia, which has previously faced ETSU and Mercer. The Wolves are 0-4 against SoCon opponents all-time and 0-2 this season, falling 1-0 to both Mercer and ETSU in back-to-back outings.
WCU enters the Sunday afternoon matchup having most recently fallen to NC State 2-0 in a hard-fought bout. The Catamounts have been held scoreless in their last four matches, with their most recent goal coming courtesy of Malia Roberts and Darien Vita in the 8th minute against UNC Wilmington. During the scoring drought, the Catamounts have put nine shots on goal, but have been unable to break through.
West Georgia enters the matchup after falling to Middle Tennessee State 2-0 back on Aug. 23. The Wolves have been shut out in three straight matches, with their lone goal on the season coming in a 1-1 draw with Jacksonville State in the season opener. UWG has been outshot 75-25 this season and has conceded 43 shots on goal while taking only nine.
Players to Watch:
The Catamounts saw four freshmen start their match against NC State as Katarina Schmidler, Dairen Vita, Alexandra Zents, and Lauryn Smith opened against the Wolfpack.
Schmidler has started all six matches for the Catamounts this season, joining Samantha Whitaker, Malia Roberts, and Alexe Drolet in the feat, while Vita has started four matches.
WCU's backline has seen some shuffling, though Alexe Drolet, Alexandra Grammenopoulos, and Samantha Whitaker have established themselves as mainstays.
Emma Soucy has recently seen significant minutes along the last line of defense for the Catamounts, while freshmen Lauryn Smith and Piper Mathers have joined Rylie Niemeyer in the rotation.
Amara Yetka played the full 90 minutes against NC State, holding the Wolfpack scoreless in the first half for the first time this season. The sophomore goalkeeper has collected 25 saves in 360 minutes of game action this season, while conceding eight goals – six of which came against Power Four competition.
West Georgia's lone goalscorer this season is senior Noemi Casique, who booted UWG's first tally of the season in the 24th minute against Jacksonville State. She leads the Wolves in total shots with six this season and is tied with Kaylen Brown for the team lead in shots on goal with two.
Goalkeeper Emily Sanabria has played the most minutes for the Wolves this season, starting all four of their matches and logging 315 minutes of game action. However, Siani Jones most recently closed UWG's match with MTSU, playing the final 45 minutes while collecting six saves and conceding one goal.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU returns to road action as the Catamounts take on Miami (OH) for a 7 p.m. kick in Oxford, Ohio on Sept. 11. They'll then take on the UNCG Spartans on the road on Sept. 17 to open SoCon play before hosting the Samford Bulldogs on Sept. 20 at 1 p.m.
