CARROLLTON, Ga.- The West Georgia women's soccer team (0-2-1) returns to the City of Dreams Sunday, welcoming unbeaten Middle Tennessee State University (2-0-1) to University Soccer Field for a 1 p.m. kickoff as the Wolves look to earn their first victory of the 2026 season.

The Wolves enter Sunday's contest 0-2-1, but each of their first three matches has been decided by one goal or fewer. UWG opened the season with a 1-1 draw at Jacksonville State before dropping consecutive 1-0 decisions to Mercer and East Tennessee State.

Against ETSU on Thursday, the Wolves battled until the final minutes, holding the Buccaneers scoreless through the first 87 minutes before a late goal ultimately decided the match.

UWG showed increased attacking pressure after halftime, recording seven shots and two shots on goal in the second half while earning six corner kicks. Kaylen Brown and Kaialani Wise each put a shot on target, while senior Ava Maldonado made her first career start and helped anchor a defensive unit that kept ETSU in check for nearly the entire match.

The Wolves will now look to turn those close contests into their first win of the season in front of their home crowd.

The Blue Raiders enter the contest 2-0-1 and have yet to allow a goal this season, posting three consecutive shutouts to open the year, with consecutive 2-0 wins against Troy and Southern Indiana. Middle Tennessee's latest result came Thursday night in a scoreless draw at UT Martin.

The Blue Raiders have been especially impressive defensively during their unbeaten start. Goalkeeper Demi Gronauer made two saves against UT Martin and extended her scoreless streak to 273 minutes. MTSU has held each of its first three opponents scoreless, marking the program's first three-match shutout streak to begin a season since 2015.

A major reason for UWG's ability to remain in close matches has been the play of goalkeeper Emily Sanabria.

Sanabria enters Sunday leading the UAC with 29 saves and 9.67 saves per game. She also ranks second in the conference with a .906 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average. Her strong start earned her the first UAC Defensive Player of the Week honor of the 2026 season. 

Sunday will mark the second all-time meeting between UWG and Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders claimed the first matchup, earning a 3-0 victory over the Wolves in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, last season.

Now, MTSU makes the trip to Carrollton for the first time, giving UWG an opportunity to even the series on its home field. Middle Tennessee is led by Aston Rhoden, who is in his 25th season at the helm of the Blue Raiders. 

With the Wolves searching for their first win, an unbeaten opponent coming to town, and two strong defensive teams set to meet, Sunday's matchup looks to be an exciting early season test.

Admission to all UWG soccer matches is free, giving fans the chance to pack University Soccer Field and help the Wolves hunt for their first victory of the season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, at University Soccer Field in Carrollton.