The Appalachian State University men's soccer heads to Statesboro, Ga. seeking a Sun Belt championship this weekend. The Mountaineers will play as the No. 5 seed and challenge the No. 4 seeded Highlanders from NJIT for the second consecutive match. Kick off is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Last Time Out >>
• The Mountaineers are coming off its second-straight victory with a 2-1 overtime win against NJIT last Saturday on Senior Night in Boone.
• Jeremy Tshongo gave the Apps an early 1-0 lead off of Alex Herbst's eighth assist of the season.
• With the game tied at 1-1, Mason McCarter picked a great time to tally his first career goal and netted the golden goal in the 95th minute to give App State the OT winner. Patrick Harrow was credited with the assist on the cross.
• Appalachian seemingly dominated control of the match and allowed just two shots on goal for the Highlanders.
• Paul West made one save and earned his fifth win of the season.
Scouting the Highlanders >>
• Both teams will be extremely familiar with each other – having played just less than a week ago.
• Cristian Marcel leads the team with 12 points off of five goals and two assists. Marko Drljic is also in double figures for points with 10. Drljic has three goals and four assists.
• Josh Mercer scored the only goal for NJIT last Saturday at Appalachian Soccer Stadium and has 11 points this season – five goals and one assist.
• In goal, Christian Foust has played 17 games and has made 69 saves with 20 goals against. Foust currently has a 1.14 goals against average with a .775 save percentage.
Sun Belt Conference Accolades >>
• For the week of Sept. 16, senior forward Stanley Broaden and junior defender Alex Beranger swept the Sun Belt Conference weekly awards by claiming Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively.
• Broaden netted three goals during the week, including two game-winners and his third career multi-goal game of this career.
• Beranger tallied his first career goal while wearing the Black and Gold in the match against Presbyterian. The junior also led a stingy defense that shut out the Blue Hose.
• For the week of Oct. 14, sophomore midfielder Donovan Japp earned Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Japp claimed the award by finishing the week with a goal and two assists. The Oakridge, N.C. native tallied two assists in a 2-1 win over Jacksonville on Oct. 8 and scored his first goal of the season against Howard on Oct. 11.
• For the week of Nov. 4, sophomore striker Stephen Chapman earned Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Chapman was rewarded for his offensive domination against Longwood on Oct. 29. The Greensboro, N.C. native, netted his first career multi-goal game and scored the game-winning goal. He tallied seven shots with four coming on frame.
• The Mountaineers swept the weekly awards with Patrick Harrow also being rewarded as the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Harrow had a strong defensive effort in the 3-2 win over the Lancers, while also providing some offense as the senior collected two assists to double his career total.
National Landscape >> (as of 11/12/14)
• Stanley Broaden ranks tied for 69th in the nation and first in the Sun Belt for total goals (7), while also ranking tied for 19th in the nation and first in the conference for game-winning goals (4).
• Alex Herbst ranks tied for 9th in the nation and first in the conference in assists per game (0.47) and tied for 13th in the nation and first in the conference in total assists (7).
Shutouts >>
• Appalachian's matches against Presbyterian and Marshall marked the first back-to-back shutout victories for the Mountaineers since the 2012 season.
• The 2-0 blanking of Marshall on the road was the first road shutout victory since a 3-0 win on Aug. 30, 2012 at UNC Asheville.
The Big 425 >>
• The 4-0 victory against Presbyterian on Sept. 12 was the program's 425th win all-time dating back to 1962.
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