THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University Women's soccer team is set to host the SUN Conference/Southern States Challenge this weekend at TU Soccer Complex, facing the University of Mobile Rams and #1 William Carey Crusaders.
 
The Night Hawks (2-2) will be one of four participating teams in the annual challenge, as SUN Conference rival SCAD-Savannah will be the only team TU will not play this weekend.  The Green & White will look to bounce back from a tough 2-0 defeat by RV Middle Georgia State Saturday.  The Night Hawks were limited to six shots, all of which came in the second half.  Despite the absence of Graduate Captain Taylor Hults on the back line in that match, the defense prevented the Knights from increasing the scoring margin, in spite of the team's 17 total shots.
 
While Thomas enters the weekend averaging just under ten shots a contest, the team looks to have a plethora of chances against University of Mobile (0-5-1).  Like the Night Hawks, the Rams pride themselves in filling its season slate with opponents who are in national contention.  As a result, UM has seen more struggles than successes.  This season, the Rams have only scored three goals thus far, while allowing 25 total goals.  While UM heads into Friday on a five-game skid, the team has had Thomas' number as of recent in the overall series, winning every contest since 2013.
 
UM is led by its young forwards in Cecilie Esbak Pedersen and Elke Fernandez.  The duo owns a goal apiece in the early 2021 campaign, in addition to holding 22 of the Rams' 47 shots on the season.  In net, Payton Lewis has allowed over four goals a contest and has also holds an average of over four saves a game.
 
Saturday will provide a stark contrast in opponent quality for TU, now set to face the NAIA's new top team in #1 William Carey (6-0) after dethroning Keiser from the top spot with a 2-0 win in the team's last outing.  SSAC Defensive Player of the Week Laurie Potvin led a defensive stand that limited the two-time national champions to just two shots.
 
The Crusaders head into the SUN/SSAC Challenge averaging 21 shots a game, with over eight shots on goal.  While WCU has its fair share of scoring threats, Ana Paula Santos is the primary go-to player for the Crusaders with four goals and three assists.
 
Kickoff Friday against University of Mobile is scheduled for 1 p.m. as Saturday's match against William Carey is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.  Fans can tune into the match by following the links below:
 
TU vs. UM (Friday)
Live Stats                                             Live Video
 
TU vs. WCU (Saturday)
Live Stats                                             Live Video
 
For up-to-date information on these games other TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com.  Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by-play, and feature stories of TU Women's soccer by following them on Twitter at @NightHawksWSocc.