CULLOWHEE, N.C. (Sept. 30, 2026) – History lingers in the Jackson County air for ETSU on Thursday night.

The ETSU women's soccer team goes for a fourth straight win on Thursday night with a visit to the Western Carolina Catamounts. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Cullowhee.

MATCHUP: ETSU (6-3-1, 3-0-0) at Western Carolina (3-6-2, 1-1-1)
DATE: October 1, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
VENUE: Catamount Athletic Complex (Cullowhee, North Carolina)
TV: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
 
Jay Yelton's Buccaneers are 3-0-0 to start SoCon play, matching their best start to SoCon play as a program. A win on Thursday would push the streak to four wins to start conference action, a run surpassed only by a 6-0-0 start to Atlantic Sun action in 2011 en route to the program's only regular season championship. Reagan Fitzgerald has scored in four consecutive games, the longest goal scoring streak since Eleonora Goldoni scored in six consecutive games from September 18-October 10, 2016.
 
The Catamounts played a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule but are 2-2-1 in their last five after a 1-6-1 start that included match-ups with East Carolina, NC State, and a trip to then-No. 16 Tennessee. Junior Gabriela Vatrano leads the team with three goals in 10 appearances this season.
 
In 22 prior meetings with Western Carolina, the Catamounts hold the edge in the series 10-8-4, but the Bucs are 2-1-2 against WCU in the last five meetings. The last two meetings have been goalless draws, with the last decisive result between the two programs coming October 22, 2023, at Summers-Taylor Stadium. Grace Eatz scored on the stroke of half time and Sinoxolo Cesane scored in the 66th to put the Bucs on a glide path to a 2-1 win.
 
For more information on ETSU women's soccer, go to ETSUBucs.com.