BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Western Carolina women’s soccer got its measure of revenge Friday night, jumping out to a four-goal lead and holding on for a 4-3 win over The Citadel in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament
The ninth-seeded Catamounts (5-11-3) advance to face top-seeded Samford in Sunday’s quarterfinal at 2 p.m. ET. The victory ends a three-game winless skid and closes the season for the eighth-seeded Bulldogs, who finish 8-7-4.
The result carried extra weight. On Oct. 11 in Cullowhee, The Citadel scored four second-half goals, including a hat trick from Jasiah Pack in roughly five and a half minutes, to beat WCU 4-1 on Senior Day. The loss snapped a 15-match unbeaten streak in the series for Western Carolina and gave the Bulldogs their first win over the Catamounts since 2010. WCU led 1-0 at halftime that day on a Gabriela Vatrano goal and outshot The Citadel 26-18, but could not hold the lead. Friday marked the first time the programs had met in the conference tournament, with WCU entering on the strength of a 22-2-2 all-time series edge.
This time, the Catamounts did their damage early. The Citadel struck first, with Adrianna Gill scoring in the third minute off assists from Pack and Samantha Grantham. Western Carolina answered 69 seconds later, when freshman Darien Vita knotted the match at 1-1 in the 4th minute. Caroline Simpkins put the Catamounts ahead for good in the 6th, and both goals were the second of the season for each player.
Vatrano, who scored against The Citadel in October, extended the lead to 3-1 in the 29th minute with her sixth goal of the year. MacKenzie Howard made it 4-1 in the 34th, finishing a chance set up by Alexandra Zents. Western Carolina piled up 15 shots in the first half, and Simpkins alone had a pair of looks, including a bottom-center attempt that Bulldogs goalkeeper Zoe Santos turned aside. The Citadel did not go quietly, though. Gill cut the deficit to 4-2 in the 45th minute, her second goal of the night, on an assist from Grantham.
The second half belonged mostly to The Citadel, which outshot the Catamounts 8-6 over the final 45 minutes. WCU did not score after the break, and the Bulldogs found a way back into the game when Pack scored in the 69th minute on an assist from Annaka Boyd, making it 4-3. Gill, Alixandria Fletcher and Boyd all had chances after that, and Charlotte Seay sent a shot wide right in the 88th minute, but goalkeeper Amara Yetka and the Catamount defense kept the lead intact. Western Carolina also picked up a yellow card on Samantha Vibberts in the 84th minute, and the Catamounts’ last attempt, an Erika Gariepy shot in the 90th minute, was saved by Santos.
Western Carolina finished with a 21-14 edge in shots and a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal. Santos made six saves for The Citadel, while Yetka made two. WCU also held a 4-1 edge in corner kicks, though the Catamounts were whistled for 14 fouls to The Citadel’s seven. Gill led all players with five shots and two goals, and Grantham finished with two assists
Next up is a tall task. Samford (11-2-5, 8-0-2 SoCon) won the regular-season title, enters the weekend on a five-game shutout streak and edged WCU 2-1 earlier this season. The Catamounts, however, have not lost at Samford’s Yelton Field since the 2022 regular season. A win Sunday would send Western Carolina to the conference semifinals on Nov. 13, hosted by the top remaining seed.
