CHARLESTON, S.C. – With its non-conference slate in the books, The Citadel will open Southern Conference play at Wofford on Friday at 3 p.m. before heading to Furman for a 2 p.m. tilt on Sunday afternoon.
 
Both of this weekend's matches against the Terriers and the Paladins will be carried live on the ESPN+ platform.
 
The Bulldogs (6-3-2) had their school-record six-match unbeaten streak snapped last Tuesday in a 2-1 setback against North Florida but have gotten off to one of the strongest starts in program history. Since play resumed this spring, The Citadel is 2-1 with its pair of wins coming over Anderson and Jacksonville.
 
Against the Ospreys, The Citadel surrendered an early fourth-minute goal and faced a 2-0 deficit at the halftime break but nearly battled back, with Maria Contreras' strike in the 52nd minute cutting North Florida's lead in half. Ultimately, the comeback fell just short despite strong late offensive pressure from the Bulldogs.

After struggling to score over the latter half of the 2019 campaign, with just six goals over the final eight matches, the Bulldogs have consistently found the back of the net this season, having already scored 17 goals in 11 matches; The Citadel has scored at least once in each of its last six matches and has scored three or more goals in a trio of those outings.
 
On Friday, The Citadel will be seeking to win its SoCon opener for the first time since the 2010 campaign, when the Bulldogs earned a 2-1 win over Western Carolina and began conference play with three straight wins.
 
Friday's match will be the season opener for Wofford, who did not compete in non-conference action and opted not to play during the fall season. The Terriers were picked ninth in the preseason coaches' poll, two spots below the Bulldogs, but do return their leading scorer from 2019 in Katie Gilligan, who tallied seven goals.
 
In goal, Maria Mon also returns for Wofford after posting 100 saves for the Terriers in 2019, which stood as the second-best mark among all SoCon goalkeepers.
 
Wofford holds a 16-4-1 record in the all-time series against the Bulldogs, including a 1-0 win in the most recent meeting on Oct. 27, 2019. The Citadel most recently downed the Terriers in the SoCon Tournament on Oct. 24, 2018, claiming a thrilling 3-2 victory on Wofford's home field.

Like Wofford, Furman has yet to play an official match in 2021 and did not play during the fall; the Paladins' lone action came in a 5-0 exhibition victory over Anderson on Feb. 9. Furman is set to face Mercer to open their season on Friday evening before Sunday's bout against the Bulldogs.

In that exhibition against Anderson, Isabella Gutierrez, one of Furman's three preseason all-conference honorees, scored twice in the opening 10 minutes and the Paladins added three goals in the second half to reach the final scoreline. Jasmine Greene, another preseason all-conference selection and the 2019 SoCon Freshman of the Year, returns for the Paladins after scoring five goals and adding eight assists.

Defensively, the Paladins' final preseason all-conference pick Faith Hauberg anchors the back line in front of freshman goalkeeper Addison Corn, who made the start between the posts against Anderson.

The Citadel trails in the all-time series against the Paladins by an 18-2 margin and will be seeking its first win in the series since Oct. 3, 2014; since then, Furman has won each of the last five meetings and has netted three or more goals in all but one of those.
 
Conference play will continue for The Citadel in its next time out as the Bulldogs will host Mercer next Friday at 3 p.m. for their lone matchup of the weekend. In the fall, the two sides tussled twice, battling to a 1-1 draw in Charleston after 110 minutes before the Bulldogs claimed their first-ever win in the series with a thrilling 3-2 victory at Mercer on Oct. 9. Logan Dix scored twice in that second meeting, and Ani Ford notched the match-winner with less than four minutes remaining off assists from Rachel Posner and Suzuka Yosue.