PREVIEW: #9 Women’s Soccer finishes off homestand with SAC opener vs. C-N

Salisbury, N.C. —- The 9th-ranked Catawba College women's soccer team's season-opening five-game homestand comes to a close on Wednesday afternoon, as it hosts Carson-Newman in their South Atlantic Conference opener at Frock Field.

THE MATCHUP

Who: Carson-Newman (3-1-0, 0-0 SAC) at #9 Catawba (2-0-2, 0-0-0 SAC)

Where: Frock Field, Salisbury, N.C.

When: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 5 p.m.

How to Follow: FloSports ($) | Live Stats

THE HISTORY

- Catawba leads the all-time series 22-18-5 (76-59 goal differential)

- The Catawba Indians are 3-0-2 in the last five matchups

- Catawba is 10-6-2 in the series at Frock Field

- Carson-Newman and Catawba locked horns 12 times between 2004-09, as the programs were among the most successful in the SAC and Southeast Region during that time; the Eagles topped Catawba 1-0 in the 2004 Southeast Region title match

STOUT SCHEDULE

- According to Massey Ratings, Carson-Newman is Catawba's fifth top-100 opponent in its first six games this season

- Catawba is unbeaten through its first four games for the third consecutive season

- The Catawba Indians travel to nationally ranked Lenoir-Rhyne, Columbus State and North Georgia later this season

CLEAN LIVIN'

- Ashley Hughes notched the first shutout of the season for Catawba Women's Soccer in Saturday's scoreless draw vs. Montevallo

- Hughes made a pair of key saves, including a diving stop in the opening minutes in what would be the Falcons' best opportunity of the game

- Hughes has six shutouts in her Catawba career (20 starts)

CONSISTENTLY CONSISTENT

- Catawba is nationally ranked for the 34th consecutive week, dating back to 2021, the longest streak in program history by more than double

- Only five players on the current Catawba roster were on the team when the Catawba Indians were last unranked

- Catawba is 31-1-6 at Frock Field since the start of the 2021 season

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

- Carson-Newman is also playing in their SAC opener on Wednesday

- The Eagles were picked in a tie for fourth in the preseason league coaches' poll

- C-N is coming off of back-to-back shutouts in their most recent in-state wins over King and Trevecca Nazarene

- Sophomore keeper Berna Kabakci made a combined two save in the two clean sheets

- Defender Karli Pettit is Carson-Newman's leading scorer heading into Frock Field, with a team-high two goals and four points

- The Eagles have bounced back from a 6-0 loss to nationally ranked Columbus State on Opening Day with three straight victories

- Head coach Simon Duffy led the Eagles to the NCAA Division II title match in his first season in 2017, but the Eagles have not recorded a double-digit win season since 2021

UP NEXT

- Catawba heads on the road for the first time this season on Saturday, traveling to Lincoln Memorial for a 1 p.m. start