CULLOWHEE, N.C. (Oct. 17, 2024) – Looking to gain momentum as regular season play winds down, the Buccaneers picked up a pivotal point as ETSU and Western Carolina played to a scoreless draw on Thursday night at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
 
Facing one of the top offensive teams in the country, the Buccaneer defense and Ashton Blair came up with stop after stop and held the Catamounts without a goal in Southern Conference play for the first time in over three years. Western Carolina entered the night ranked sixth in the country with 39 total goals, but Blair came up with four massive saves and was tested a handful of other times as the Catamounts took 23 shots on the night.
 
Following the stellar performance, Blair collected her 15th career shutout (already a program record) and now has 189 saves in 47 matches played.
 
With the draw, ETSU moved to 3-7-3 overall and 2-3-2 in conference play. Western Carolina, who had its first opponent take a point off them in SoCon play this season, sits at 10-2-3 overall and 5-0-1. The last time the Catamounts were held scoreless in conference play was Oct. 16, 2022 against Samford.
 
For the match, the Catamounts took 17 more shots than the Blue & Gold, while Western Carolina's keeper Leanne Trudel made one save. Despite the large shot discrepancy, just four of WCU's shots went on target and only one in the final 45 minutes.
 
Grace Eatz and Natalie Capannelli both had two shots, while Ellie Cornell and Jada Cooper accounted for the other two attempts. Cornell had the lone shot on goal as her header off a corner kick in the 84th minute went to the right post but was corralled by Trudel.
 
Moments earlier, Eatz fired a long-range shot at goal, and it just skimmed off the top of the crossbar for a goal kick. Capannelli recorded the Bucs' first second-half shot when she received a pass, took it to the top of the 18-yard box and missed left of the goal in the 52nd minute.
 
In the first half, Western Carolina came out and pressured the Bucs early and often, as the Catamounts took nine shots in the opening 20 minutes. Blair was up for the challenge and saved the three shots on target, while ETSU's defense held Western Carolina to two shots in the final 25 minutes of the first stanza.
 
Blair came up with her lone save in the second half off a look from a corner kick in the 72nd minute, while the Catamounts had one last chance in the closing seconds but a shot by Milla Syska from inside the 18-yard box sailed just high of the crossbar.
 
Sofia Goclowski led all players with six shots, which included the lone attempt on target in the second half.
 
Western Carolina finished with five corner kicks, while all four of ETSU's came in the second half. The teams combined for 14 fouls with the Bucs being called for eight.
 
The Bucs return home to host Samford on Sunday at 1 p.m. from Summers-Taylor Stadium.
 
For more information on Buccaneer women's soccer, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's soccer tab.