PREVIEW: #19 Women’s Soccer focuses on Newberry

Newberry, S.C. —- The 19th-ranked Catawba College women's soccer team takes its mark atop the South Atlantic Conference standings on the road on Saturday, traveling to Newberry for its final weekend game of the regular season.

THE MATCHUP

- Who: Catawba (9-1-4, 7-0-2 SAC) at Newberry (6-4-4, 1-4-4 SAC)

- Where: Smith Road Complex, Newberry, S.C.

- When: Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, 1 p.m.

- How to follow: FloSports ($) | Live stats 

THE HISTORY

- Catawba leads the all-time series 23-3-3

- The Catawba Indians are 10-1-2 in Newberry

- Catawba has won the last four in the series, out-scoring the Wolves 15-0

KILLER KYLIE

- Grad student Kylie Morin turned in a hat trick in Catawba's last outing versus Mars Hill on Senior Night

- With the performance, Morin took over the team lead with 10 goals this season, good for second in the SAC

- Morin scored just three goals a season ago

CATAWBA IND-EFENSE

- Catawba currently leads the SAC with just 10 goals allowed through 14 games this season, a 0.71 goals-against average

- Catawba and Newberry are tied with the league lead with eight clean sheets to this point

- The Catawba Indians defense have the league's top defense despite ranking last in saves, largely in part to the team's impressive 31 shots on goals allowed through 14 games, an average of just over two per contest

WHAT'S AT STAKE IN THE LEAGUE TABLE

- Catawba still holds its own destiny for the outright SAC title, which would be the team's first since the 2021 season

- Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne are currently tied for the league lead, but the Catawba Indians and Bears square off in the regular season finale in Hickory on Nov. 6

- Wingate also trails the two league-leaders by just a single point, meaning the Bulldogs could snag the outright title if Catawba and LR play to a draw next week

- Saturday marks an important game for Newberry's SAC Tournament hopes, as the Wolves sit three points out of eighth place with seven points on the season

SCOUTING THE WOLVES

- Newberry came out of the gates strong to open the season, going 5-0-1 in its opening six games, but have earned just one win since the start of October

- Newberry has scored three goals in seven conference games in that span, interrupted by a nine-goal outing in a non-conference bout with Allen two weeks ago

- The Wolves have gone with two goalkeepers this season, with Aubrey Cripe and Sarah Waller both recording seven starts this season, helping Newberry to a league-best eight shutouts this season

- Nick Brown and Deedee Alexander are the two longest-tenured active head coaches in SAC Women's Soccer; Alexander is coaching in her 11th season at Newberry, while Brown is in his 10th season

UP NEXT

- Catawba turns its attention to the regular season finale next Wednesday, as it travels to nationally ranked Lenoir-Rhyne for a game with regular season conference title implications; the game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start