HARROGATE, Tenn. — The sixth-ranked Catawba College women's soccer team secured a 3-1 South Atlantic Conference victory over Lincoln Memorial on Saturday afternoon in the Volunteer State.
Ella Matthews, Cadence Setzer and Avery Rush supplied the scoring with assists coming from Kennedy McGuire and Harper Dussouy. Setzer peppered the home net with six shots including a season-high five attempts on goal. Kaitlyn Johnson also had multiple on-target deliveries as the freshman added two, followed by three others with one apiece. Lauren Zitt recorded three saves on four shots faced between the posts.
The Catawba Indians (10-2-1, 7-0-1 SAC) boasted a commanding 20-9 advantage in the shot count with a similar-sized edge in on-target fires at 10-4. The blue and white led 7-4 in corner kicks and were tagged for 12 fouls against the Railsplitters' (4-4-4, 3-2-2 SAC) seven infractions.
After LMU was whistled offside in the second minute, Catawba hammered the Railsplitters with four shots — two on goal — around the match's first corner kick. The visitors' persistence paid off when Matthews opened the scoring 16 minutes in, receiving assistance from McGuire. Catawba broke up a 32nd-minute LMU corner as Setzer swooped in and went coast-to-coast, sliding a left-footed shot past the keeper to create a 2-0 cushion. The Catawba Indians had the next three shots before halftime, sending two high to keep the ledger stagnant at the break.
The blue and white earned four corner kick opportunities in the first 25 minutes of the stanza with a handful of shots including an SOG from Setzer. Following saves by Zitt in the 76th and 77th minutes, Dussouy dished a pass to Rush in the middle of the box for a one-timer under the crossbar, extending the gap to 3-0. LMU got one back with a Donna Van Der Zalm blast inside the final 10 minutes. Catawba did not concede another shot the rest of the way while putting the finishing touches on its 10th win of 2026.
By picking up their seventh in-league triumph, the Catawba Indians have met that total for the sixth straight season. Additionally, this is the earliest date (Oct. 10) that Catawba has reached seven SAC wins in program history.
The blue and white deviate from their conference slate for two matches, the first coming at home on Saturday, Oct. 17, against Flagler. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Frock Field.
