Oct. 30, 2009

Game Notes for Appalachian State

Cullowhee, N.C. - The Western Carolina women's soccer team wraps up the regular season with arch-rival Appalachian State this Friday.

The match kicks off at 6:00 p.m. at the Catamount Athletic Complex. Fans are encouraged to attend for their chance to win a Bojangles gift card ranging from $1 to $100 dollars. Live video coverage of the match will be available online through Catamounts All-Access for a fee on CatamountSports.com. Free live stats will also be available through GameTracker.

The Catamounts (7-6-5, 4-3-3) are in the midst of a two-match win streak with road victories over Furman (2-0) and Wofford (1-0) last weekend. The winning streak is the longest since a two-game streak over Davidson and Georgia Southern (Sept. 25-27) earlier this year.

Goalkeeper Caitlin Williams earned Southern Conference Player of the Week honors after recording a pair of shutouts last week. Williams broke her previous school record of eight shutouts with her ninth of the season on Sunday. During the two games last week, the Liberty, S.C. native recorded six saves. The honor is Williams second from the Southern Conference as she earned Athlete of the Week for Sept. 30.

Seniors Shanna Schmoker and Rachael Shomper tallied markers in last week's 2-0 win at Furman. The goal was Schmoker's second of the season. Shomper, a native of Millersburg, Pa., notched her team-leading fourth goal of the year and her 11th of her career. Shomper leads the Cats in goals scored (4), assists (3) and points (11).

Junior Kellie Oberholtzer scored her first goal of the season with the 1-0 game winner at Wofford on Sunday. Oberholtzer, a native of Nashua, N.H., hit the back of the net from 40-yards out. The goal was her first since a tally in the 3-2 win over Appalachian State last season.

Appalachian State (6-8-4, 3-4-3 SoCon) enters the match after defeating Furman 1-0, snapping a seven-game winless streak. The Mountaineers are led offensively by Katy Dodd, who has four goals and nine points on the season while Sydney Hill is second on the team with eight points. Goalkeeper Caroline Clarke tied the single-season school record with her seventh shutout of the season in the 1-0 win over Furman. She is tied for the SoCon lead in saves with 85 and is second with an .850 save percentage.

Western Carolina leads the all-time series over ASU, 8-2. The Catamounts have controlled the series winning the last four consecutive over the Mountaineers. Last season, WCU pulled out a 3-2 victory in the final minutes over their rivals in Boone, N.C. The last win for the Mountaineers was 2-1 win in overtime in Boone on Oct. 24, 2004. In the 10 matches played between these two rivals, eight of the matches have been decided by one goal.