BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University field hockey will put its two-game winning streak on the line tomorrow when it travels to Longwood for a 3 p.m. start followed by the final home match of the regular season on Sunday against Richmond beginning at 12 p.m.
The Mountaineers (4-8) were last in action on Sunday, Oct. 11 when they shut out Davidson and won a second-consecutive game in Boone, both of which hadn't happened since 2010. Meanwhile, the Lancers come into Friday's showdown with a similar record of 4-8 and have dropped three straight while the Spiders have won two in a row to get back over .500 at 7-6.
The last time App State faced Longwood was on Halloween of last year and Taylor Cimbalist's goal in the 43rd minute was the difference as the Black and Gold held on for the 1-0 victory.
This season, Cimbalist has accounted for three scores, but she has asserted herself much more as the team's playmaker. The Virginia Beach, Va. native leads the squad in assists with nine, which is the second-most in a single season in program history, and her .75 helpers per game are good for eighth in the country.
Senior Caroline Phillips has handled the bulk of the scoring with seven of the team's 23 goals to her credit and leads the Apps in points (16), shots (39), shots on goal (24), and game-winners (2). Micaela Diedericks has scored a goal in three of the last four games to move into second place on the squad in that category with five.
In goal, Cristina Ceppi is coming off her first shutout of the season and second of her career. Ceppi is ninth in the nation in saves per contest at 7.25 and with 87 stops this year, she has moved into 10th place on the program's career chart with 231. The senior stopper has gotten some help on the defensive end from Marissa O'Brien who is fourth in the country in defensive saves with five and with 10 in her career, she is now the school's all-time leader in that category.
When looking at the Lancers, they have been outscored 17-2 during the three-game skid, but faced a pair of top-five teams in that span including No. 5 Duke and No. 3 North Carolina. Three players are responsible for over 75 percent of the scoring in Jennifer Burris (6 goals), Hollie MacDonald (6) and Edel Nyland (5). Burris and MacDonald are tied for the team lead in points (13) and Burris holds the advantage in shots on goal (29) while Nyland is first on the squad in both shots (45) and game-winners (2). Longwood's eight assists have come from eight different players.
In the cage, Lauren Bernard has started 11 of the 12 games with 37 goals allowed, 59 saves, a 3.78 goals against average, and a .615 save percentage.
The Spiders have been led by Kelly Quinn with six goals and 12 points while Avery Safford leads the team in assists (5) and Amy Cooke is the ringleader in total shots (18). Cooke and Emma Johansson are deadlocked in shots on goal (9) and both Quinn and Safford have two game-winners apiece.
Goalie minutes have been split between Amanda Hoyt (7 starts) and Emily Braunewell (6 starts) with Braunewell holding the edge in nearly every category including goals allowed (14-18), saves (39-25), goals allowed average (2.20-2.56), and save percentage (.736-.581).
Live stats for both matches will be available at appstatesports.com.
