#13 Women’s Soccer opens 2024 campaign with top-15 clash

Salisbury, N.C. —- Fresh off arguably the most successful season in the long history of Catawba women's soccer, the Catawba Indians return to Frock Field on Friday night for a top-15 clash with perennial South Region contender Embry-Riddle in the opener before turning their attention to Georgia College with revenge on their mind.

Catawba returns following a season in which they set the program record for wins in a single season, reached the farthest in the current format of the NCAA Tournament and neared the top of the country in scoring offense yet again.

And yet, the 2024 team enters Friday night with a clean slate.

THE TEAM

- Nick Brown enters his 10th season as Head Women's Soccer Coach in 2024 with a 101-49-13 overall record; Catawba is 53-6-7 since 2021

- The Catawba Indians rostered a league-high eight preseason all-conference selections: Bree Ehmer, Helen Summerell, Maria Rayburn and Alexah Fite were First Team selections; Lillie Rusher and Kelly Havens Second Team and Morgan Delair and Sharon Mayes found a spot on the Third Team

NATIONALLY RANKED STANDARD

- Catawba enters the 2024 season as nationally ranked for the 32nd-consecutive week; the previous longest streak in program history was 12 weeks

- The Catawba Indians are 3-4-2 versus nationally ranked opponents since 2021

- Embry-Riddle would be Catawba's highest ranked win over a non-conference opponent since topping 10th-ranked Columbus State in October of 2006

ALL-TIME SERIES

- Catawba is 0-1 all-time versus Embry-Riddle, a 2-0 loss at Frock Field in 2009

- The Catawba Indians are 2-2 against Georgia College; most notable matchups include Catawba's overtime NCAA Tournament win in 2008, GCSU handed #1 Catawba their first loss last season

FRESHMAN FENOM

- 2023 SAC Freshman of the Year Bree Ehmer will look to start the 2024 season like she did as a freshman in 2023, scoring six goals in her first nine collegiate games

- Catawba outscored their opponents 41-6 in August & September last season

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

- Embry-Riddle was voted the Sunshine State preseason favorite, ahead of 3rd-ranked and 2023 national semifinalist Florida Tech

- The Eagles have won four consecutive SSC tournament titles, becoming the first team in league history to accomplish the feat

- ERAU returns eight starters from the 2023 team; however, like Catawba, the Eagles lost their leading point-recorders in Marie Myhrvold Seim (9g, 3a) and Isabelle Navren (5g, 7a)

- Friday could prove to be a contrast in play styles as Catawba scored 71 goals to 36 for ERAU; the Eagles allowed just 13 goals to opponents in 19 games last season and return '23 SSC Defensive Player of the Year Thea Nyberg, Freshman of the Year Lauryn Mateo and starting goalkeeper Oona Jokinen

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS

- Georgia College will look to upend Catawba like it did in 2023, when it upset top-ranked Catawba in the team's first-ever game as the number-one ranked team in the country

- The Bobcats were picked sixth in the Peach Belt preseason poll, but return a whopping 28 student-athletes from its squad a season ago that finished with a .500 win percentage

- Sara Schultz, the scorer of the late winner in last year's heartbreaker in Milledgeville, returns as a senior

- Like ERAU, GCSU may look to slow down the tempo, as the team scored 34 goals last season with no player recording more than nine points on the season; the balanced GCSU attack saw 10 players record between five and nine points in 2023

Weekend Schedule (Women)

Friday, Sept. 6

Chowan vs. GCSU, 5 p.m.

#15 ERAU at #13 Catawba, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 8

#15 ERAU vs. Chowan, 1 p.m.

GCSU at #13 Catawba, 3 p.m.

Follow Along

- For all broadcast and live stat information, check out catawbaathletics.com