CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga soccer team will hit the road to take on Mercer Thursday evening in Macon, Ga. The Mocs are 1-2 in Southern Conference action while the Bears are 1-1-1 in league play.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Site: Macon, Ga.
Date: Thursday, October 3
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Follow all the action online at GoMocs.com. Links for Live Stats and video streaming on ESPN+ are available at GoMocs.com on the women's soccer schedule page.
 
CHATTANOOGA vs. MERCER
Chattanooga leads the series 7-5-2 dating back to 2002 before the Bears entered the SoCon. In league play, the series is tied at 4-4-2. At home, UTC leads 6-1-1 but are 1-4-1 in Macon.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
Mercer scored the first goal in a 3-2 Mocs win midway through the first half. Clarissa Salinas booted in UTC's first goal to tie the match nearly 10 minutes later off a free kick from Kelly Tuerff. The Bears would once again move out front in the 75^th minute taking a 2-1 lead. Hannah Opie sent a pass into the box for Caroline Richvalsky to tie the match 2-2 in the 86^th minute. The game winner came in the 89^th minute off a corner from Zoey Mize. Her shot into the box went over everyone and bent into the box for the Mocs third goal and game winner. UTC edge Mercer 15-14 on shots and 7-6 on shots on goal.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Mocs fell 1-0 to UNC Greensboro. Chattanooga's aggressive offensive effort led to five shots with three on goal in the first half. UTC outshot the Spartans 9-7 led by four shots from Caroline Richvalsky. The Mocs defense only allowed two shots on goal for the Spartans, but one found the back of the net for the game winner.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
October 6 vs. ETSU, Finley Stadium, 5 p.m.
October 10 vs. The Citadel, Finley Stadium, 5 p.m. SENIOR DAY
 
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (2-6-3, 1-2 SoCon)
The Mocs beat Jacksonville State and opened league play with a win over Wofford. Chattanooga started the season with a tie at Georgia State and posted back-to-back draws against Tennessee Tech and Belmont. Chattanooga has eight goals on the year, averages 10.5 shots per game and a .470 shots on goal percentage.
 
Caroline Richvalsky leads the team with eight goals and is tied for 10^th in the league standings. Zoey Mize, tied for second in the SoCon, has a team-high four assists. Mize has assisted on all four of Richvalsky's goals. Clarissa Salinas has the team's lone penalty kick while Paige Thomas, Brenna Swiger and Ella Attaway all scored their first goals for UTC this season.
 
ABOUT MERCER (7-3-2, 1-1-1 SoCon)
The Bears are tied for fifth in the SoCon standings through three matches. Mercer leads the league with 30 goals and second for fewest goals allowed with 11. Larkin Thomason was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week for all competition Sept. 24-30. It was her second of the season. Thomason scored both goals in Mercer's 2-0 win at ETSU. It was the Bears only competition last week. She leads the SoCon in goals scored with 11, tying her single-season high last season as a freshman. She is tied for third most in the NCAA. Jada Moorman is fifth in the SoCon with 12 points on five goals and two assists. Lindsey Bell has played 1080 minutes in goal and allowed 11 goals with a 0.92 goals against average. She has 34 saves, 2.83 per game and a 75.6 saves percentage.
 
MOCS NEWS AND NOTES
Richvalsky Leads Mocs With Pair of Game Winning Goals
Caroline Richvalsky scored both of Chattanooga game winning goals this season. She scored the Mocs lone goal against Jacksonville State and clinched the match in the SoCon-opener at Wofford.
 
Richvalsky in the Mocs Record Books
Junior Caroline Richvalsky entered the Mocs career records list just halfway through her junior year. She ranks 10th for points (36) and goals (14) and eighth with 144 shots taken over her career.
 
Ekern Guarding the Goal with Career Numbers
Caroline Ekern took over keeper duties as a freshman. Since then, she has etched her name into UTC's record books. She is second behind Stacey Matthiessen (30) for most wins with 18, tied with Abbey Saddler at fourth for most shutouts with 11, tied for fifth with a 1.23 goals against average and eighth with 145 career saves.
 
Caroline Richvalsky Tied for Sixth in Goals Scored
Caroline Richvalsky is tied for 12th in the Southern Conference for goals scored with four on the year. She scored the game winners against Jacksonville State and Wofford. She had the Mocs first goal of the season at Georgia State and scored the equalizer against Tennessee Tech.
 
Zoey Mize Leads Mocs in Assists, Second in SoCon
Zoey Mize leads UTC with four assists and is tied for second in the Southern Conference. She assisted on the Mocs first goal of the season at Georgia State as well as the game winner at Jacksonville State and Wofford and the equalizer against Tennessee Tech.
 
Mize, Richvalsky Team Up for Four Goals
Juniors Caroline Richvalsky and Zoey Mize have teamed up to lead the Mocs this season. The pair first connected on the Mocs season-opening goal at Georgia State. Mize got her second assist of the season setting up Richvalsky for the game winner at Jacksonville State. The duo once again paired up to score the equalizer against Tennessee Tech at Finley Stadium. In the SoCon opener at Wofford, Mize fed Richvalsky for the game winner against the Terriers.
 
Mocs in the National Rankings
• Clarissa Salinas is tied with 240 players this year so far for penalty kicks. She is 1-for-1 with the game-tying PK against Georgia State. The Mocs are one of 131 teams to hit all PK attempts.
• Caroline Ekern is 62nd in the NCAA for Goalie Minutes Played at 990:00. She has played every minute in goal for Chattanooga this season.
• Zoey Mize is 126th in the NCAA for Assists Per Game with 0.36. She has fed all four of her assists to Caroline Richvalsky including two game winners and an equalizer. She is 85th for total assists.
• Caroline Richvalsky is 66th in the NCAA for game winning goals with two and 146th for shots per game at 2.73.
• Paige Thomas is ranked 37th for shot accuracy at 0.609. She is 130th for shots on goal per game with 1.4 on frame.
 
Freshman Paige Thomas Finds Net in SoCon Opener
Freshman forward Paige Thomas scored her first collegiate goal for Chattanooga in the Mocs SoCon opener at Wofford (9/19). She found the back of the net, arcing a shot over the Terrier keeper in the 17th minute for the first goal of the match.
 
Ella Attaway Nets First Collegiate Goal
Freshman Ella Attaway scored the equalizer in the Mocs 1-1 draw at Belmont on Sept. 15. The goal was the first of her collegiate career. Belmont scored in the 67th minute and Attaway crossed into the penalty area, split the defenders and sent her shot to the right, just out of reach of the Bruins' keeper.
 
Brenna Swiger Nets First Goal for the Mocs
Transfer Brenna Swiger turned on ball in the box and booted home her first goal for the Mocs in the second half against Xavier on Sept. 8. The goal, a left-footed shot, cut the Musketeers lead in half. She was assisted by Nicole Solete.
 
Senior Day Set For Thursday, October 10 vs. The Citadel
Chattanooga will honors six seniors on October 10 vs. The Citadel. Long-time Mocs Sylvie Keck, Kelly Tuerff and Ella Roth along with transfers Taylor Morris, Brenna Swiger and Hannah Morton will all be recognized prior to the Mocs 5 p.m. kick off at Finley Stadium.
 
Mocs Return 13 Veterans to the Pitch
UTC returns 54 percent of its offense from the 2023 season led by Caroline Richvalsky who had a team-high for goals and was second on the team in scoring. Clarissa Salinas had the fourth most goals and point. Caroline Ekern tallied four shutouts last season and returns to the net. She had a 1.29 goals against average and a .756 save percentage.
 
Many New Faces in the Lineup
Chattanooga's 2024 lineup has seven freshmen and six transfers. Grad transfer Brenna Swiger and sophomore Abbey Marak have found their way into the starting lineup along with freshmen Sophia Mize, Naomi Kato and Paige Thomas.
 
Sister-Sister
The Mocs have had sisters on the team several times including twins. This season junior Zoey Mize is joined by her sister freshman Sophia Mize. The pair have started all eight games for UTC. Zoey is second in scoring with a team-best three assists and Sophia has played all 90 minutes in four matches.
 
Mocs Welcome Alumni Back to Finley
The Mocs welcomed back several former members of the Mocs Soccer teams on September 22. They were honored at halftime and met with the team after the match. UTC celebrates 30 seasons in 2025.
 
Strong Non-Conference Schedule
The Mocs opened the season with a draw at Georgia State and fell on the road at Tennessee with a pair of unlikely goals. The home opener saw UTC fall to Alabama and the Mocs will host Xavier who climbed four spots to #15 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
 
Clarissa Salinas Named to Preseason All-Conference Team
Salinas started all 18 games for Chattanooga in 2023 and was fourth on the team in scoring, goals scored and assists. She scored three goals including the game winner against Middle Tennessee in UTC's first meeting with the Blue Raiders since 1999. The Garland, Texas native took 28 shots with 17 on goal and played a career-best 104 in the SoCon quarterfinal game against Samford.