UNCG (7-5, 3-1 SoCon) at Western Carolina (5-4-3, 2-0-2 SoCon), Thursday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m.
LiveStats: Gametracker (via catamountsports.com)
Storylines
- UNC Greensboro will face Western Carolina on Thursday in a rematch of the squads that played in last season's Southern Conference tournament title match.
- UNCG was the preseason pick to win the league this year, followed closely by Western Carolina. So far, the teams have played mostly to expectations, with the Spartans sitting tied atop the league standings with nine points, and WCU just one point behind the trio of UNCG, Elon and College of Charleston.
- The Spartans hold an 11-2-2 advantage in the all-time series with Western Carolina, which began in 1999. Western's two wins came in 2001 and 2002, while UNCG has gone 7-0-2 since the Catamounts' 1-0 win in 2002.
- The squads played to a scoreless draw in last season's SoCon tournament title game on Nov. 9, with the Catamounts earning the league's NCAA bid in a penalty kick shootout and keeper Caitlin Williams earning tournament MVP honors. During the regular season, UNCG took a 2-0 win in Greensboro on Oct. 10. Katelynn Donovan notched both goals, scoring in the ninth and 19th minutes. Nicole Danford assisted on UNCG's first goal, while Jen Bronson had the helper on the second. UNCG keeper Kelsey Kearney posted shutouts in both games against the Catamounts on the season.
- The win over Western Carolina last season gave UNCG coach Eddie Radwanski his 100th career coaching victory. Radwanski now stands at 114-61-12 in his nine-year career (.642 winning percentage).
- The Spartans picked up a 3-0 win over Georgia Southern on Sunday, highlighted by Kelly Attayek's goal just 26 seconds into the match. Kristin Player and Tabitha Padgett would go on to add second-half goals, while Kearney and backup Alex Perry combined on the shutout in the net.
- Senior Lauren Lopez was named one of the 10 national finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award on Monday. Fans can vote as often as once a day for Lopez at www.seniorclassaward.com or by texting W5 to 74567. Voting is open through Nov. 13, and fan votes will be combined with votes from coaches and media to determine the winner. The winner will be announced at the NCAA Division I Women's College Cup, Dec. 4-6.
- UNCG is ninth in the NSCAA's Southeast Region poll and is the only school not from the ACC included in the 10 that are ranked.
- UNCG opened the season with a brutal non-conference slate, dropping its season-opener 2-1 to unranked Wake Forest - which is now up to 11th in the NSCAA poll - on Aug. 23, before facing then-No. 11 Duke (now unranked), then-No. 1 North Carolina (now No. 2) and then-No. 4 Stanford (now No. 1) in consecutive games. The Spartans also lost to then-unranked Virginia Tech, which is now 12th in the coaches' poll, on Sept. 11.
- Seven of UNCG's 12 games have been decided by just one goal. Four of the matches have resulted in 1-0 scores, while three have been 2-1. Three contests were 4-0 decisions with another two decided by 3-0 scores.
- After scoring just five combined goals in its first seven games, UNCG has exploded for 15 in its last five.
- Player leads UNCG in scoring with 16 points on the season on five goals and a SoCon-leading six assists. Padgett is second with 10 points on five goals, while fellow freshman Lauren Hein is third with seven points on two goals and three assists. Kearney owns a 0.94 goals against average on the year with four shutouts and 49 saves in 12 games.
- Western Carolina is riding a six-match unbeaten streak, having gone 3-0-3 since a 2-1 loss at Tennessee on Sept. 13. Since then, the Catamounts have beaten Jacksonville State, Davidson and Georgia Southern and tied UNC Asheville, Samford and Chattanooga.
- The Catamounts tied Chattanooga 3-3 on Sunday, getting the tying goal from Katie Jacobs with just 17 seconds left in regulation to avoid the upset. The Lady Mocs had tied the game just moments earlier, scoring with just 2:13 left in regulation for a short-lived 3-2 lead. The game was a back-and-forth affair from the get-go, with Chattanooga scoring in the second minute before Bri Cunningham countered for Western in the sixth. The Lady Mocs added another goal in the 25th minute and held a 2-1 lead until Renee Anderson's goal in the 53rd minute. After allowing two goals, preseason All-SoCon keeper Williams was replaced by Katie Jacobs in the 31st minute and did not return.
- Western Carolina is averaging just over a goal a game so far on the season, with 13 scored in 12 contests played. Rachael Stomper is the Catamounts' leading scorer on the season, as she has nine points on three goals and three assists. Cunningham and Shannon Fowkes have two goals each. Williams has started every match for WCU, and had played every minute until giving way to Jacobs on Sunday. Williams owns a 0.75 goals against average with 51 saves and six shutouts, both tied for most in the SoCon. Jacobs has a 1.13 GAA after her 79 minutes of work Sunday, with one goal allowed and six saves in one contest.
- Western Carolina is 5-1-1 at home, while UNCG is 1-3 in true road games this season. The Spartans also own two more wins away from UNCG Soccer Stadium, however, having gone 2-0 in neutral games at early season tournaments. Thursday's game will wrap up a season-long three-game road swing for UNCG.
