>OPPONENTS: 
Salem at Brevard | October 16 | 4:00 p.m. 
Salem at William Peace | October 19 | 7:00 p.m. 

>SPIRITS HEAD TO BREVARD, WILLIAM PEACE FOR CLASHES
Salem, which concluded a two-match home stretch with a clash against N.C. Wesleyan last Saturday, will now take to the road for a pair of clashes with Brevard (Oct. 16) and William Peace (Oct. 19). The Spirits are in search of their first win in USA South Conference action. 

>NIETO BECOMES CAREER LEADER IN GOALS SCORED IN CLASH VERSUS METHODIST
Ten years after establishing the program mark in career goals, Sawyer Ferguson was passed by Darilyn Nieto as the all-time leader in that category in Salem history. Nieto ascended to the top of the program's goal scoring list when she netted her 17th goal of the season in the 88th-minute of the clash with Methodist on October 16th. 

However, Methodist capitalized on a pair of second half goals to stretch its winning streak against Salem to five matches when the two teams met in Fayetteville, N.C., claiming the 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon in USA South Conference action. 

The venue, switched to Fayetteville, N.C., after storms from Hurricane Helene left Varsity Field unplayable for the two teams on Saturday afternoon. 

Nieto's program-setting goal came in the 88th-minute, which moved her within two goals of Ferguson's all-time single-season goals scored mark of 19. Ferguson established that mark in 2012. 

Nieto finished with five shots on the afternoon, including four shots on goal. Salem tallied nine shots on the day, including seven shots on goal, as a unit. 

Methodist countered with 30 shots (13 SOG) with the trio of Shovlain (five shots), Burge (four) and Allye Carter (four) leading the way. Shovlain led the way for the Monarchs with three shots on goal. 

>NIETO NOW CHASING FERGUSON FOR MOST GOALS IN SINGLE SEASON
Darilyn Nieto has scored at least one goal in seven of 11 matches this season for the Spirits, giving her 17 on the campaign. 

Nieto, who was scoreless in a setback to Johnson & Wales (September 14), sits two goals shy of Sawyer Ferguson's single-season goal scored record (19), which came in 2019. Nieto, who has scored at least 14 goals in each of her three seasons at Salem, is the only player in program history with that distinction. 

Nieto's 17 goals are tied for fourth-most nationally in 2024, four off the pace established by Laila Kendle (Saint Elizabeth), who leads the nation with 21. Sarah Dullaghan of Emmanuel (Mass.) is tied for second with 18 strikes alongside Megan Kurian (Penn College). Nieto is tied for fourth in goals scored with Delaney Parker (Westfield State). 

>BATTLING BISHOPS COME AWAY WITH 3-1 WIN OVER SALEM
Salem's Alexia Valente-Arreola netted her fifth goal of the 2024 campaign, but it was a pair of first half strikes by N.C. Wesleyan that made the difference as the visitors came away with a 3-1 win at Varsity Field on Saturday afternoon. 

The Battling Bishops notched the first goal of the match when Maena Meyer drove home an assist from Mia Scherber in the 17th-minute. Teammate Eden Whiteside added the second N.C. Wesleyan goal, making for a 2-0 advantage at the intermission, in the 30th-minute. 

Meyer came through with her second goal of the match in the 50th-minute, following a pass from Eden Whiteside, pushing the margin to 3-0. 

Just over seven minutes later, Valente-Arreola reached the back of the net for her fifth goal of the season to mark the final goal of the afternoon. 

Salem finished off the match with 16 shots, including eight shots on goal, with Darilyn Nieto leading the way with eight shots (four SOG). The Battling Bishops closed with eight shots, including five shots on goal. 

Grace Walls led the way in net with seven saves for the Battling Bishops, while Marissa Doutrich closed with two.  

>VALENTE-ARREOLA SECOND IN GOALS FOR SPIRITS
Salem first year midfielder Alexia Valente-Arreola continues to make a great first (year) impression as she notched her fifth goal of the season, first in USA South Conference action, to move into second on the team's scoring list in 2024. 

Valente-Arreola notched her first collegiate goal in a 4-2 victory over Agnes Scott, scoring in the 47th-minute of play. She followed that with a goal in the Spirits' 6-1 defeat of Wesleyan (Ga.), giving her two on the season. 

Valente-Arreola's third strike of the season was the fifth of a seven-goal outing against Warren Wilson on September 3rd. She then added her fourth in a 5-2 victory over Sweet Briar as she helped the Spirits grab a 3-1 lead at the intermission with a goal in the 43rd-minute. 

Her fifth goal of the slate was the lone Salem goal of a clash with N.C. Wesleyan on October 12th. 

>SCOUTING REPORT—BREVARD
The Tornados, who have not lost a home match in their 16 outings, enter Wednesday's clash with Salem brandishing an 8-0-2 record in 2024.  

The last setback for Brevard came in the 2023 USA South Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Championship game, which came at the hands of No. 1 seeded Southern Virginia by a 3-1 margin. 

The Tornados tied Meredith 1-1 on September 21st and since that point have claimed victories over Toccoa Falls (2-0), Greensboro (7-0), Methodist (1-0) and Mary Baldwin (3-1) in succession. 

Mikayla Zvekan leads a well-balanced Brevard scoring attack with eight goals, converting 22 shots along the way. Teammates Kinlee Mozley, Mikayla Rubin and Kiara Porcelli are locked in a three-way battle for second-most goals with seven. Mozley leads the way with points, scoring seven goals and handing out a team-best seven assists. 

Nicole Arroyo is 5-0-0 in net for Brevard, making 11 saves, while teammate Abby Nunez is the leader in saves (16) and is second in wins with a 3-0-2 mark. Brevard is locked in a battle for the league's regular season crown with a 3-0-1 record, sitting one match behind Southern Virginia, which stands at 4-0-1. 

>SCOUTING REPORT—WILLIAM PEACE
The Pacers enter the week with a 3-4-2 mark, which includes a 1-3 record in USA South Conference action. 

William Peace is 2-2-2 at home this season, and finished 1-1 last week after claiming a 2-1 victory over N.C. Wesleyan before falling 1-0 to Greensboro on October 12th. 

Emma Avery tops the team in individual leaders with five goals, driving home 11 shots on goal. Teammates Savanna Berckmiller and Cate Crzyzewski have two goals each for the Pacers this season, which is second-most on the unit. 

The defensive unit is led by the tandem of Mackenzie Kirk and Gaby Vazquez, who have combined for 49 saves and a 0.778 save percentage. Vazquez leads the way in both saves (27) and wins in goal, two, while Kirk owns a 0.815 save percentage.