CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga soccer team opens Southern Conference action this week with a road match at Wofford on Thursday. The Mocs then return home to open league play at Finley Stadium against Samford.
 
CHATTANOOGA VS. WOFFORD
This will be the 32^nd meeting between the Mocs and Terriers. Wofford leads the series 16-10-5. Chattanooga is currently on a two-match win streak and is unbeaten in 10 of the last 11 meetings.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Mocs at Wofford
Date: Thursday, September 19
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Site: Spartanburg, S.C. | Snyder Field
Links for live stats and video streaming on ESPN+ can be found online at GoMocs.com on the women's soccer schedule page.
 
LAST MEETING
The Mocs beat the Terriers 2-0 at home for a second straight shutout on the season. Chattanooga's offense scored two early goals and the defense held the Terrier attack at bay. Caroline Richvalsky scored the game winner, her seventh goal of the season, in the 17^th minute and Birna Johannsdottir scored just over a minute later on a penalty kick for her fourth goal on the year. UTC outshot Wofford 19-8 and had a 10-2 shots on goal advantage.
 
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (1-4-3)
The Mocs closed out the non-conference slate with a tie at Belmont on Sept. 15. UTC put together a schedule that featured a pair of strong SEC foes in Tennessee and Alabama and a first-time meeting against 15^th-ranked Xavier. The Mocs opened the season with a 2-2 tie on the road at Georgia State and finished play out of conference with 1-1 ties against Tennessee Tech and the Bruins. Chattanooga shut out Jacksonville State 1-0 in Gamecock territory.
 
Caroline Richvalsky leads UTC with three goals, ninth in the Socon, and six points. Zoey Mize, tied for fourth in the league, has accounted for three assists and is second on the team in scoring. Ella Attaway, Clarissa Salinas and Brenna Swiger each have a goal for the Mocs and Nicole Solete has an assist. Caroline Ekern has played every match in the net for Chattanooga this season. She has a 1.63 goals against average and 30 saves, tied for fourth in the conference.
 
ABOUT WOFFORD (4-4-1)
The Terriers are on a four-game unbeaten streak that includes three wins and a tie. Wofford posted clean sheets in its last three outings and shut out Stetson in the second game of the season. The Terriers average 1.22 goals per game and have a .465 shots on goal percentage.
 
Ines Obradovac has a team-high five goals, tied for third in the SoCon, and leads the Terriers with 11 points and three game winners. Megan Childress has two goals and two assists and is second on the team in scoring while Millie Murphy also has a pair of goals. Elizabeth Navola has started four games and accounted up three wins. She has a .955 saves percentage, third in the SoCon, and a 0.22 goals against average.
 
MOCS LAST OUTING
Chattanooga 1, Belmont 1 - Nashville, Tenn.
Freshman Ella Attaway went through the Belmont defense to score her first collegiate goal Sunday night in a 1-1 draw with the Bruins to close out the Mocs non-conference schedule. Attaway entered the penalty area and split the defenders near the top of the box, sending her shot just out of reach of the Belmont keeper high and to the right to tie the match 1-1 in the 72nd minute. While neither team was able to score most of the match, Belmont connected on a set piece, scoring off a free kick just outside the box. Chattanooga edged the Bruins on shots 10-9 and had a 5-4 shots on goal advantage. UTC had three corner kicks to Belmont's one. Caroline Richvalsky had three shots to lead the Mocs with two on goal. She had a close shot just in front of the goal, but it was pulled in by the Bruin goal keeper. Abbey Marak and Clarissa Salinas each had two shots with one on goal. Caroline Ekern played all 90 minutes in the net and had three saves.
 
UP NEXT
Chattanooga will host Samford Sunday, Sept. 22 at Finley Stadium in the SoCon home opener. Gates open at Noon and admission is FREE. Concessions are available near the South Gate entrance. Kick off is set for 1:00 p.m.
 
MOCS NEWS AND NOTES
Caroline Richvalsky Tied for Ninth in Goals Scored
Junior Caroline Richvalsky is tied for ninth in the Southern Conference for goals scored with three on the year. She scored the game winner against Jacksonville State. 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, Fourth in SoCon
Junior Zoey Mize leads Chattanooga with three assists and is tied for fourth 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 equalizer against Tennessee Tech.
 
Mize, Richvalsky Team Up for Three 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.
 
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.
 
Clarissa Salinas, Chattanooga first in the NCAA for PKs made
Junior Clarissa Salinas is tied 191 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 122 teams to hit all PK attempts.
 
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.
 
Season Opener Ends in Draw
Caroline Richvalsky put the Mocs on the board early at Georgia State. However, the Panthers came back to take a 2-1 lead. With just over a minute remaining in the contest, Richvalsky was fouled inside the box. Clarissa Salinas knocked home the penalty kick for the tie. She also had a late goal against Georgia State in 2022 in Atlanta for the tie.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Chattanooga Hosts Five in Southern Conference Action
The SoCon season opens on the road for UTC at Wofford. That will be followed by a pair of home matches against Samford and UNC Greensboro. ETSU and The Citadel will travel to the Scenic City in October and the season closes against the 2023 defending SoCon regular season and tournament champion Western Carolina.
 
Mocs Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll
The Mocs were picked to finish sixth in the Southern Conference Preseason Poll as voted on by the league coaches.
 
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.
 
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