GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado women's soccer breaks the seal on its home slate within the 2023 schedule, welcoming Chaminade (Hawaii) University and Midwestern State University Texas to Katy O. Rady Field on Friday and Sunday for a pair of non-conference games.

Both days will also include neutral-site pairings between the two visitors and a third, Fort Lewis College.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023 Stats

• The Mountaineers opened the season with a weekend trip to the Midwest, battling host University of Mary (N.D.) to a scoreless draw on August 31, before dropping a 2-0 decision two days later at Minnesota State University Moorhead.
• Western will be working to net its first goal of the season, but confidence in the attacking third remains high as all but one player who scored for the team last year is back with the program in 2023.
• The team accumulated 26 shots over those two opening game, three more than their opponents' combined total, and they also forged a 15-9 advantage in shots on goal.
• Taking over in goal at the start of this season was Mei Hayashizaki, who recorded a shutout with three saves in hers and the Mountaineers' first game of the season, then added three more saves during the loss in Minnesota.

CHAMINADE HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023 Stats

• The Silverswords earned a win last year over the Mountaineers at Rady in the first meeting between the two programs.
• Chaminade, 7-6-3 last fall, started the current season with a scoreless tie against Northwest Nazarene.
• The top three scorers from last season's team have graduated or no longer with the program, leaving the attack to a new crop of returners and freshmen.
• Back between the pipes, though, is Naomi Takata, who played every minute in goal for the Silverswords during the 2022 campaign and posted a 0.75 goals-against average while accumulating 44 saves (0.786 SV%).

MIDWESTERN STATE HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023 Stats

• The Mustangs are 0-0-2 all-time against Western Colorado, and 5-4-3 against Fort Lewis.
• In two matches to start the current season, MSU tied Metropolitan State University Denver in its opener and equaled Central Oklahoma, 1-1, in the second game of the schedule.
• Midwestern State's leading scorer from last season must be replaced, but Cassidy Savoy's four goals and two assists were second on the team, and she returns this fall.
• In goal once again will be Lexi Jackson. She played every minute between the pipes during last season's 9-9-2 schedule, posting a 1.34 GAA, and a .745 Sv% while coming up with 79 saves.

FORT LEWIS HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023 Stats

• The Skyhawks own a 5-4-3 record against Midwestern State, and lost, 1-0, to Chaminade in last fall's first meeting between the two schools.
• Fort Lewis opened 2023 with a 1-1 neutral-site tie with Eastern New Mexico, then followed that with a 2-1 non-conference win over host and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe, Adams State.
• Similar to Midwestern State, the Skyhawks' leading scorer from last fall must be replaced, and like with the Mustangs, the next leading scorer is back, though. Hannah Paschke netted four goals and added one assist in 2022 and will be looking for her first point of this season while competing this weekend at Rady.
• Two of the three goalkeepers that saw action last year are back in the fold. Riley Bravin was 2-3 last fall with a 0.80 GAA and a .871 Sv%, and Katlyn Rosenbaum was 2-2 wit a 1.67 GAA and .750 Sv%.

UP NEXT FOR WESTERN
Its final non-conference weekend of the season takes the Mountaineers to California where they will take on hosts Cal Poly Pomona on Sept. 15 and California State University, Dominguez Hills two days later.