After finishing their conference season with wins over Appalachian State and East Tennessee State, the Lady Catamount soccer squad has moved to first in the Southern Conference and has secured at least a share of the regular season title.
Additionally, since WCU has defeated UNCG and Furman, who are the only two teams that can possibly tie the Lady Cats, Western (14-4, 8-2) will enjoy the number one seed at the Southern Conference Tournament next weekend in Greenville, SC.
Western’s success has also moved into the national spotlight. According to the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas Women’s Division I rankings, the Lady Cats are ranked 10th in the Southeast Region, the only Southern Conference team to be named in the rankings.
Sunday afternoon, WCU finished its home schedule a perfect 10-0 with a 1-0 victory over Appalachian State at Shrader Field.
The game’s lone goal came in the 18th minute when sophomore midfielder Jordan Howell fired home a goal from 15 yards with an assist from junior midfielder Nardia Moore. The goal was the team-leading 13th on the year for Howell, and her third in two games.
Her 13 goals are good enough for second in the Southern Conference, while she leads the league with 33 points. Furthermore, the score was also her sixth game-winning goal of the year, which leads all SoCon players. Moore’s assist gave her the conference lead with eight on the season
Junior goalkeeper Mandi Tinsley recorded seven saves for her sixth shutout of the season, which puts her in third place in the SoCon.
Howell and sophomore forward Lauren Bramlett each scored two goals Friday afternoon as the Lady Catamounts rolled past ETSU (3-13-1, 2-8) 4-0 at Shrader Field.
Western did not take long to get the scoring started, as Howell gave WCU an early lead with a goal in the ninth minute with an assist from junior midfielder Kelly Barker.
In the 18th minute, Howell struck once again. Dribbling past the ETSU defense to fire a shot from only 10 feet out that hit the back of the Lady Bucs’ net.
Unrelenting, Western would score again in the first half when Bramlett notched an unassisted goal in the 27th minute.
The Anderson, SC, native would strike once again with under ten minutes left with an assist from freshman defender Tami Pissott. The goal was her ninth of the year and places her in sixth place in the conference standings.
The Lady Catamounts will end their regular season Saturday at Georgia State. They will then begin to prepare for the Southern Conference tournament which begins when they take on the number eight seed next Thursday in Greenville.
