BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men's soccer
travels to Wilmington, N.C. to participate in the UNCW Hilton Garden Inn
Classic for two weekend matchups at the UNCW Soccer Stadium.
The Mountaineers face
Binghamton on Friday, Sept. 14 at 5 p.m., then take on Saint Mary's on Sunday,
Sept. 16 at 11:30 a.m.
The Mountaineers
(3-1-1)
The Black and Gold
are coming off the momentum of their last minute heroics against Richmond, as
sophomore Kristian Lee-Him tallied his first career goal in the 90th
minute to defeat the Spiders, 1-0. The Mountaineers closed out the Davidson
adidas Classic with the victory over Richmond and a scoreless draw against USC
Upstate.
In the latest NCAA
Division I statistical rankings, the Mountaineers are ranked third in goals against
average with 0.24 GAA. The Apps are one of just eight teams in the nation who
have given up one or fewer goals per goals this season. Since the rankings did
not include the match against Richmond, Appalachian currently holds a 0.19 GAA,
which would rank the team even higher.
Senior midfielder
David Dodge scored two goals in the first two matches of the season, and leads
the team. Lee-Him joins sophomore Stanley Broaden and senior Nate Latigue as
the other Mountaineers to score on the young season.
Sophomore Paul West
earned a shutout in his first start of the season, saving two shots against
Richmond. For West, it was his second shutout of his career, after earning a
victory over Catawba last season. Junior Danny Free currently has three
shutouts on the season and has recorded eight saves. Free and West have
combined for a Southern Conference-best four shutouts.
The goalkeepers are
behind one of the surest backlines in the nation, led by Hermann Watch List
honoree Lee Williams and junior Harrison Delbridge. Also giving quality time
for the Mountaineers are sophomore Patrick Harrow and junior Walker White. The
four have started every match this season and have allowed just 11 shots on
goal.
The Bearcats
Binghamton comes into
the weekend with a 2-3 record. Both wins are from road victories over Buffalo
and Army. Most recently, the Bearcats fell to Hofstra 3-2 on Friday.
Senior Jake Keegan
ranks among the nation's best, as the forward ranks fifth with 2.40 points per
game and is currently tied for fifth with 1.00 goals per contest. Keegan has
five goals and two assists coming into the weekend. Three other Binghamton
players have record goals this season.
Freshman goalkeeper
Logan Calvey has played all but 41 minutes this season in goal for the Bearcats.
Calvey has tallied 26 saves and has given up eight goals in five matches.
The Gaels
For the first time
all season, Saint Mary's did not receive votes in the weekly NSCAA national
poll, after bring ranked No. 18 in the first poll of the season. The Gaels are
currently 1-1-2, coming off a loss to No. 2 ranked Creighton at home on Sunday
afternoon.
The Gaels have scored
three goals by three different players in their first four matches of the
season. Senior defender Trevor Newquist is credited with one of the goals and
leads the team in shots with six. Newquist was named to the preseason all-WCC
before the start of the season.
Sophomore Andre Rawls
has started every match this season for Saint Mary's, giving up just three
goals and stopping 11 shots.
QUICK HITS
- This will be the
first time Appalachian will match up with both Binghamton and Saint Mary's.
This is just the second time the Mountaineers have faced a team from
California, falling to Cal State Bakersfield, 2-0, in 2009 in the first meeting
with a team from the Golden State.
- With updated NCAA
statistics being released on Tuesday, the Apps are also for fifth in shutout
percentage.
- Last season's 11
shutouts set the school-record for the most shutouts in a season. Appalachian
needs just seven more clean sheets in 12 matches remaining on the schedule to
match that total.
- After this weekend,
the Mountaineers will travel to ACC opponent, Wake Forest on Tuesday, Sept. 25.
Kickoff from Winston-Salem is set for 7 p.m.
