BOONE, N.C. — In windy, cold and rainy conditions, Appalachian State University women's soccer thrived as it won a crucial home game against UL Lafayette, 2-0, on Friday evening at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex.
The Mountaineers (8-7-2, 3-4-2 Sun Belt) completely dominated offensive possession for the match, holding the Ragin' Cajuns (8-8-1, 4-4-1 Sun Belt) to four total shots to App's 19.
"Resilience was the word of the night," head coach Sarah Strickland said. "UL Lafayette is a great team and has gotten some huge results this season. Thank you to all of the fans that came out despite the weather to support our program. I'm so proud of all of our young ladies for battling and for sticking together to earn the three points. We are looking forward to Sunday to not only celebrate the journey of our senior class but also fight to secure that Sun Belt Tournament berth."
Even though it wasn't Senior Day yet, seniors Jane Cline and Jenn Bass shined in one of their final home games with Cline drawing blood first in the 36th minute. Cline took Morgan Mosack's great ball through traffic from the left side and fired it home on a line.
Bass' goal came on a set piece from a Kelly Flanders corner. The junior placed the ball perfectly through the whipping rain where Bass was able to locate and knock in dead center.
Cline led all attackers with eight shots on the night, five of which were on goal. Right behind her was senior Jackie Nieradka with three shots and two on goal.  Bass had two shots on goal while redshirt sophomore Erin Settle had one of her two shots on goal.Â
Rounding out the offensive effort was sophomore Emmily Cowie, freshman Maggie Hanusek and Mosack with one shot each.
With the Cline's eight total shots, she set a new program record for most shots in a season with 77 – passing Casey Cleary's total of 75 in 2005. The goal also gives Cline her ninth of the season, tying her for third all-time for goals in a single season.
Junior goalkeeper Sam Steyl refused to let in a goal for the entirety of the match, getting her third shutout of the year off four saves. Â
Strong Through the Storm
Rain and wind were a common aspect to Appalachian State's preseason practices to start the year off. More often than not, the Mountaineers would be playing on a wet field with rain coming from all over due to the wind. And the cold is just another part of living in Boone.Â
So with the elements combined on Friday evening, the Mountaineers weren't just unaffected by the weather, but they actually excelled through it from first kick to final buzzer.
Whether it was making better plays on a wet ball or being able to focus through an evening that had temperatures drop to 40 degrees during a wind advisory.
The mental fortitude paid dividends, especially in the second half, where the Black and Gold held UL Lafayette without a shot for the first 27 minutes of the second half.
Looking Forward
The Mountaineers stay home to finish out the 2016 regular season by hosting top-ranked Sun Belt team South Alabama in a rematch of the 2015 Sun Belt Tournament semifinals on Sunday, Oct. 23 at noon. Senior Day festivities begin at 11 a.m.
Despite South Alabama being the No. 1 seed in the tournament in 2015, Appalachian State pushed them to PKs after equalizing the game at 2-2 late in regulation. The Mountaineers took the team all the way through the penalty kicks but ultimately fell 10-9.
