CULLOWHEE, N.C. – It's an important final week of non-conference territory for the Presbyterian College women's soccer team, putting their five-match unbeaten streak to the test by visiting both Western Carolina and Mercer over the next four days.

The Blue Hose will cruise into Cullowhee tomorrow for a 7:00 PM showdown against last season's Southern Conference Tournament champions. They'll turn right around and duel another SoCon stalwart in Georgia on September 15, signifying the last match of the calendar until Big South play begins.

Picked to finish seventh in the league prior to the start of the season, head coach Matt Smith's unit has catapulted far beyond that prediction and currently holds the best record in the division at 5-1-1.

It's been over three weeks since PC was given their last (and thus far, only) loss of the semester. Since then, they've defeated Furman, Southern Wesleyan, South Carolina State, and The Citadel, while posting a 2-2 draw in their most recent match opposite Georgia State.

 
GAMEDAY INFO – THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Presbyterian (5-1-1) at Western Carolina (3-2-2) – 7:00 PM
WHERE: Catamount Athletic Complex (Cullowhee, N.C.)
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: SideArm

 
GAMEDAY INFO – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
Presbyterian (5-1-1) at Mercer (4-2-1) – 2:00 PM
WHERE: Betts Stadium (Macon, Ga.)
WATCH: ESPN+

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT – WESTERN CAROLINA
 
- WCU authored a newsworthy run to the 2023 SoCon title, rapidly flipping from a five-win season in the previous year to go 7-2 against conference opponents and tally three straight shutouts on their way to the tournament trophy.

- A 13-win trek was ended in the first round of the Big Dance against #6 Alabama. The Catamounts were chosen as the preseason number one team in the SoCon and have fought to either a win or a tie in their last four showings.

- Under the guidance of head coach Chad Miller in his 14^th season, Western Carolina has allowed zero goals in the entire month of September. It's been exactly 300 minutes since WCU was last scored on.

- The last time that the Catamounts conceded a score was on August 25 versus Longwood. In that contest, Western drilled the back of the net with 19 seconds left on the clock which allowed them to reach a 2-2 tie.

- Following that exhilarating conclusion, WCU blanked both Georgia State and Gardner-Webb by an added margin of 7-0 and last competed over the weekend in a scoreless draw at East Carolina.

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT – MERCER
 
- Not far behind Western Carolina's lofty preseason ranking as the fourth-ranked club in the SoCon, Mercer must first deal with Georgia State tomorrow before turning their attention to the Blue Hose in the Peach State.

- The Bears captured the W 10 times last fall, but were unexpectedly eliminated in the Quarterfinals of the SoCon tourney against ETSU (a 1-0 decision where the lone goal of the game occurred just seven minutes in).

- Head coach Tony Economopoulos had his squad rolling in the early stages of '24, surging out of the gates with four victories in succession. Three of those wins came in shutout form, and were all turned in at their home site.

- Since gaining a 4-0 blowout over UNC Asheville, Mercer has entered a bit of a lull by falling to both North Florida and Big Ten representative Illinois. Both of those defeats were very slim, however, losing to the Fighting Illini 3-2 after trimming the lead with a 79^th-minute PK.

- The last time that PC visited Macon (2018) ended with a 2-1 triumph for the Scotsmen, firing off the game-winner with under five minutes to go. That particular PC team started off the season at 5-1, a mark that this Presby gang mirrored through its first six matches.

 
LAST TIME OUT
 
- A 16^th-minute laser from Lina-Marie Müller and a 50^th-minute PK by Sarah Dieffenderfer enabled the Blue Hose to the aforementioned tie with GSU.

- Presby silenced the Panthers over the last 58 minutes of Sunday's encounter, preserving the draw behind two Kelly Hall saves in the waning moments.

- Currently riding a nine-point scorcher in the last three matches, Müller was selected as the Big South Offensive Player of the Week on Monday afternoon. This came after setting a new PC single-game record in the D-I era nearly a week ago, collecting an assist to all three of her team's goals as the Blue Hose stomped The Citadel in Charleston.

 
FOUR FIRST-TIMERS
 
- Coach Smith's crew has proven themselves a dangerous offensive lineup by already having eight different goal-scorers in 2024. Among them, Presbyterian has seen four non-freshmen notch their first collegiate goal this semester.

- Sophomore Emilia Lieber (Wofford), senior Gwen Keiser (Furman), junior Isabel Lasota (Southern Wesleyan), and junior Ella Williams (The Citadel) have all submitted their first scores at the college level recently, stacking up 16 goals altogether for the Scotsmen.

 
UNBLEMISHED ON THE ROAD
 
- Some of Presbyterian's biggest highlights in '24 have happened while playing the visiting party. In fact, PC is unbeaten in three attempts when on the road, the first time that the Blue Hose have won their opening three road duels in six years.

- Wofford, Furman, and The Citadel have all hosted PC and were vanquished by a collective margin of 8-3. That includes two narrow victories against the Terriers and Paladins, along with the 3-0 waltz past the Bulldogs.