Western Carolina erased a two-goal deficit to draw Mercer 2-2 in a Southern Conference matchup. Samantha Vibberts pulled the Catamounts within one before freshman Darien Vita scored her first career goal in the 69th minute to level the match. The result leaves WCU eighth in the conference standings, ahead of ninth-place Mercer on a tiebreaker.

By the Numbers
  • Final score: Western Carolina 2, Mercer 2.
  • WCU outshot Mercer 16-19 but led 11-7 in shots on goal.
  • Amara Yetka made 5 saves; Mercer goalkeeper Avery Parker made 9.
  • WCU is 4-9-3 overall and 2-4-2 in SoCon play; Mercer is 7-7-3 and 2-4-2.
Yes, But

Mercer built its lead with two first-half penalty kicks and applied early second-half pressure. Yetka and the WCU defense held firm, giving the Catamounts time to complete the comeback.

State of Play
  • WCU is eighth in the SoCon standings with 8 points and holds the tiebreaker over ninth-place Mercer.
  • The Catamounts are unbeaten in their last 4 regular-season meetings with Mercer.
  • WCU has recorded at least 10 shots on goal in 3 consecutive matches.
What's Next

Western Carolina hosts Tennessee Tech on Oct. 29, then closes the regular season at Furman on Nov. 1. The SoCon tournament begins Nov. 6.

Bottom Line

The comeback secured a valuable standings point and kept WCU ahead of Mercer in the race for a conference tournament spot, but the Catamounts still have work to do in their final two regular-season games.