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 Western Carolina opens up the Hurricane Cup with the regionally-ranked Miami Hurricances on Friday. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. |
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Sept. 4, 2009
Cullowhee, N.C. - The Western Carolina women's soccer team travels to Miami, Fla., this weekend to play two regionally-ranked opponents in the inaugural Hurricane Cup. The Catamounts open play with host Miami this Friday at 7:30 p.m., before a Sunday afternoon matinee with Dayton at 1 p.m.
Western Carolina enters Friday's match with a 2-1-0 record after dropping a 2-0 decision to South Carolina on Sunday. Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Williams deflected a season-high five Gamecocks shots in the loss.
The Catamounts opened the season with a pair of wins; 1-0 shutout over Gardner-Webb on Aug. 21 and a 2-1 win over East Tennessee State last Friday. Senior Nikki
Lombardo leads the Catamounts offensively with three points after tallying the game winning goal and an assist against ETSU. Classmate Rachael Shomper also tallied a goal in the win against ETSU.
The Miami Hurricanes (2-1-0) are ranked eighth regionally in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCCAA) Southeast regional poll. Miami dropped a season-opening 1-0 decision to No. 6 Florida, before capturing two consecutive victories over Florida Gulf Coast and Ball State.
Miami has outscored its opponents 8-to-1 in the last two matches. Leading the way during that attack is freshman Katie Howarth, who scored a hat trick in the 5-1 drubbing of Ball State on Sunday.
Sophomore Vikki Alonzo has been very efficient as the netminder for the Hurricanes, posting a 0.78 goals against average in three starts.
On Sunday, the Catamounts will face another regionally-ranked foe in Dayton. The Flyers (2-1-0) are ranked No. 1 in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll and are No. 29 in the national poll. Last weekend, Dayton defeated Loyola-Chicago and Middle Tennessee, while tying with Auburn.
Jerica DeWolfe was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for amassing three goals in two contests last weekend. Freshman goalkeeper Katherine Boone is 1-0-1 in her two starts and has a 0.45 GAA.
The Flyers will play Navy on Friday afternoon, before wrapping up tournament play with the Catamounts on Sunday.
Live coverage of this weekend's matches can be found online at HurricaneSports.com and CatamountSports.com
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