BOONE, N.C. - Competing as a team for the final time this academic year, Appalachian State University men's soccer concluded the year with a successful spring season. The Mountaineers faced off against six collegiate squads in the first preview of the 2012 season.

Appalachian State's defense highlighted the performance, as the Apps prevented their opponents from scoring a single goal in 450 minutes of play--the duration of five regulation matches. Full results are listed at the end of the article.

Head coach Matt Nelson expressed satisfaction with the progress that his team made this semester. "Everyone on the team has progressed and improved," he noted. "The team played well and stepped up to fill the pieces we lost through graduation."

With the departure of six graduating seniors, the team had leaders to replace, but this year's squad showed it is capable of filling those shoes.

"Our seven rising seniors have shown their maturity and stepped into the leadership roles extremely well," continued Nelson. "The losses we felt from the departing seniors were not as significant as we initially thought they might be. Our returning players played with the confidence and knowledge of the game that comes with experience."

Both goalkeepers, rising junior Danny Free and rising sophomore Paul West, played equally and made critical saves when called upon. The duo's error-free performance this spring could help the Mountaineers duplicate their program-record 11 shutouts last season.

ASU's top-ranked defense remains the team's biggest strength. After helping Appalachian earn the sixth-best goals-against average in the nation in 2011, this spring's back line remained consistent in preventing rivals from getting scoring opportunities.

In the midfield, Appalachian demonstrated consistency on defense but may yet need improvement on the attack. The ASU front line contains some of the team's most-talented players, and while they created numerous opportunities in every game, the squad will still need to work on finding the back of the net more regularly in the fall.

"This spring, we improved with each game, with the best coming in the finale against Charlotte," recollected Nelson. "The 49ers were a national finalist last year, and we showed that we have the ability to compete with any team we face. It's very promising to see our team play that well against such a strong squad.

"Overall, I think we've shown some amazing potential this season," Nelson continued. "Our goal again this season will be to win a Southern Conference championship, and if we can stay healthy, we have a real shot at doing just that."

Appalachian State is set to begin its championship run with the start of the season in late August. Conference action culminates with the start of the SoCon Tournament on Nov. 3, while the league semifinals and championship are set for Nov. 9-11 on the campus of Furman in Greenville, S.C. Full details will be posted at GoASU.com once the schedule has been finalized.

SPRING RESULTS

Date		Opponent		Location		Result
Sat., March 24		vs. High Point		Axton, Va.		T, 0-0 (45 min.)
Sat., March 24		vs. James Madison		Axton, Va.		T, 0-0 (45 min.)
Sat., March 24		vs. Longwood		Axton, Va.		W, 2-0 (90 min.)
Wed., March 28		UNC ASHEVILLE		BOONE, N.C.		W, 2-0 (90 min.)
Wed., April 18		LEES-MCRAE		BOONE, N.C.		T, 0-0 (90 min.)
Sat., April 21		at Charlotte		Charlotte, N.C.		T, 0-0 (90 min.)