JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 21, 2023) – ETSU may have had their chance at a SoCon regular season title slip away, but the tournament title is still there for the taking, as is the chance to host through the semifinals. 
  
The path to both those things is the same – through the newly minted regular season champs. 
  
The ETSU women's soccer team hosts Western Carolina on Sunday in the regular season finale. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Summers-Taylor Stadium. 
 
THE MATCHUP  
ETSU (9-2-5, 5-1-2) vs. WESTERN CAROLINA (10-3-3, 7-1-0) 
Sunday, October 22 | 2 p.m. | Summers-Taylor Stadium | ESPN+ | Live Stats 
  
ABOUT THE BUCS  
·       Sunday is decision day in the SoCon, with all 10 teams kicking off at approximately 2 p.m. The Bucs will be either the second or third seed in the 2023 SoCon Women's Soccer Championship depending on the results of the day's games. 
·       ETSU returns home after a drawing 1-1 at Samford for the second consecutive year. Ava Matherne's 60th minute screamer in the top left corner leveled the score and gave ETSU energy to push for the win, but they were forced to settle for a single point. The Bucs are unbeaten in their last four and are 8-1-4 since August 24th. 
·       Sinoxolo Cesane leads the Bucs in scoring despite missing three games due to international duty with South Africa. After scoring just two goals in her first three seasons with ETSU, Cesane has five this season and one assist to total 11 points. Her 0.92 points per game ranks eighth in the SoCon. 
·       The Bucs remain one of the stingiest teams in the nation, ranking seventh in team goals against average (0.438) and 15th in team save percentage (.873). Ashton Blair leads the SoCon in both categories and ranks 23rd and 32nd nationally in GAA and save percentage, respectively. 
·       ETSU has conceded just seven goals this season and has set the records for shutouts (11) and tied the record for shutouts at home (7) in a single season. Blair is tied for the single season record for shutouts by an individual with seven, matched only by Shu Ohba in 2021. 
·       In addition to Blair, ETSU's defense has been anchored by center back Sydney Somogyi, who started her 26th consecutive game for the Bucs and made her 47th career start in 48 games, missing only ETSU's game against App State on September 8, 2022. She and fullback Taylor Limprevil are the only Buccaneers to start every game this season, and Somogyi has played all 1,350 minutes for the Bucs in 2023. Somogyi has played the last 1,820 minutes of ETSU soccer, dating back to October 9, 2022, against UNC Greensboro. 
·       ETSU's nine wins this season are the most in the Jay Yelton era and the most in a season for ETSU since 2016, when the Bucs went 13-6-2. Their five conference wins are the most since 2018 when they went 5-4-0 in SoCon play. 
 
ABOUT WESTERN CAROLINA 
·       The Catamounts are the SoCon regular season champions after a 4-0 win over VMI last Sunday coupled with ETSU's draw at Samford. Four different Catamounts scored, including Isabella DeMarco's 10th goal of 2023, just the second double-digit goal season at WCU since 2001. 
·       The Catamounts are enjoying their best season in years. They have already secured their third 10-win season in the last five seasons, but their three losses are the fewest in a season since the program began in 1999. Their nine shutouts are third-most in a season in school history, and their 36 goals are third-most and also the most goals since the school record of 57 was set in 2001. 
·       Nearing the end of her sophomore season, Isabella DeMarco is surging up the record charts for WCU. She is already tied for ninth with 14 career goals, 13th with 10 assists, and is 12th with 38 career points. DeMarco is tied for the SoCon lead with 10 goals this season and leads the conference with 26 points and is 38th in the nation in goals per game (0.62). 
·       Junior midfielder Naya Marcil is also climbing the record charts. The SoCon assist leader in 2023 is fifth in program history with 16 assists, including nine this season. Her eight goals are fourth in the SoCon, and she is third in the conference with 25 points. Marcil is eighth in the nation in total assists and 16th in assists per game (0.56) 
·       The Catamounts are tops in the SoCon and 31st in the nation in scoring offense (2.25) and 28th in total goals (36) in 2023. They are also one of the least-cautioned teams in the country, one of 11 teams with fewer than five yellow cards and one of just four teams with 16 or more games played to have four yellow cards or fewer. 
 
SERIES HISTORY 
·       This is the 20th meeting between ETSU and Western Carolina. The Catamounts lead the all-time series 10-7-2 and have won three of the last four. 
·       Abbie Lainhart scored in the 54th minute on senior day at the Catamount Sports Complex to lift WCU to a 1-0 win in the last meeting on October 23, 2022, in Cullowhee. 
·       ETSU got the better of the Catamounts in 2021, the last time the two teams squared off at Summers-Taylor Stadium. Jocelyn Nehls scored in the 63rd minute for the 1-0 victory. Cesane collected her first career point with an assist on the goal. 
 
UP NEXT  
With the regular season concluded, ETSU begins play in the 2023 SoCon Women's Soccer Championship on Friday, October 27, at a time and location to be determined. 
 
For more information on ETSU women's soccer, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's soccer tab.