CLEVELAND, Ga. – No. 6 Truett McConnell women's soccer faces its biggest test in Appalachian Athletic Conference play thus far with a road game in Athens, Tenn. against (RV) Tennessee Wesleyan tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.
 
The Lady Bears and Lady Bulldogs will face off for the 20^th time since 2013, with the former holding the advantage in the recent series with a 10-7-2 record. Last season, TMU won the regular season matchup 1-0 before a stunning 4-2 upset in early November saw TWU win the game and the AAC Tournament in Cleveland. It was the first Lady Bulldog win in the series since 2017.
 
Tennessee Wesleyan is off to an undefeated start to the season, hosting a 3-0-1 overall record while winning its first three conference games. Its 4-0 win over Columbia College is followed by a narrow 1-0 victory over Milligan and a decisive 8-1 blow out of Johnson. The Bulldogs drew with Dalton State 0-0 to begin the 2026 campaign.
 
As a team, TWU has only allowed a single goal through four matches, which leads the conference. It also possesses the second most shutouts on the season with three, which is a clean sheet behind the Lady Bears' four.
 
Individually, Valerie Koopman is the goal leader on the team with three scores for six points, which also leads the Lady Bulldogs. Freshman Julie Gopal and sophomore Iara Tello lead in the assist category with two each. At goalie, Ana Martinez has started all four games and has not allowed a single goal with eight saves.
 
For the Lady Bears, they are tied-fourth in goals scored (13) and fourth in total points with 37.  Defensively, they rank tied for second in goals allowed behind TWU.
 
Isabella Hodson, the AAC Offensive Player of the Week in week four, leads the team in goals scored with four and total points with nine. Joanna Funes is also a threat offensively with two goals and five points along with a team-leading 17 shots on the season. Last week, the sophomore forced eight shots through two games and scored the game winning goal on Saturday in a 1-0 win over No. 22 Georgia Gwinnett.
 
Defensively, while holding opponents to a combined three goals on the season, Erin Ward (3), Salome Deneubourg (3) and Morgan Morreale (1) have contributed offensively with their point totals. At net, freshman Noa del Rio assumes the primary role with a .786 save percentage on 14 shots faced and a 2-1-1 record. She collected a shutout win with three saves vs. the Grizzlies on Saturday.